Blog - Anger Awareness week

We come from a culture of “stiff upper lip”. Most of us grew up with the understanding that to express emotion, especially anger was not welcome. In Chinese medicine and in modern western understanding of health, we know that the mind and emotions have a direct effect on the body and on our health. Kinesiologist’s warmly refer to emotion as e – motion: energy in motion and understand it as the foundation for good health.

Today we have a plethora of therapeutic support to help us release emotion and basically get our energy moving well. Anger In Hispanic cultures it’s natural to shout, to raise the voice in a debate and to be effusive when emotive. This is a natural part of that culture. In British culture we have learned to “be nice”, so we habitually apologise (for feeling angry) and “dum it down” with cake, alcohol or T.V. If we don’t express our anger then it will build up and lead to “explosive” anger expressed in other circumstances or unexpressed it becomes disease of one kind or another.

Ways to move your anger safely.

1. Own it: If you are in a situation that makes you feel angry – own it. State to that person or people that you feel angry. Start your sentence with I. Owning our anger can be very empowering.
2. Move it: Any exercise will move your anger (and other emotions) through the body. Do something you love and enjoy it.
   1. Dancing is particularly good for moving anger as it’s creative, expressive and social.
   2. Marching vigorously, swinging the arms and lifting the knees is a great way to move emotions.
   3. Stretching, Yoga, Chi-Kung, Tai-Chi can be as effective as aerobic exercise such as boxing, running and climbing…… there’s so much choice we might wonder why we don’t do it.
   4. The Wood Chopper This is a great exercise designed specifically to move anger and get our energy moving well: i. Stand with your feet hips width apart, join your hands together in-front of you. ii.. raise your arms up high as if you’re swinging an axe. iii. Bend your knees and let your arms swing down quickly whilst making the sound HA from your belly. This is a very strong mover for anger The Ha sound also works well on its own so you can do it in the car if you need to!
3. Sound it:
   1. Go for a walk and scream into the sky.
   2. Singing will move your emotions (and change your mood). Sing an old song you love or put on some music and sing and dance along.
   3. Chanting focuses the mind (eliminates negative thought) and brings a blessing from the many billions of practitioners that have energised that chant from the beginning of time.

How complementary therapies can help break the Anger cycle

Chinese medicine in the form of acupuncture, tuina or shiatsu work to rebalance anger in the body by balancing the five elements and thus the 5 emotions. They release tension in the muscles and tissues which left unchecked will lead to more anger. Breaking this cycle is really important. Kinesiology and core process psychotherapy can help you to understand the root of your anger and clear it from the body. All body work eg holistic massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, deep tissue massage and craniosacral can help release tense muscles relaxing mind and body and breaking the anger cycle.