Suppressed anger turns into depression and inner war
All feelings are intelligent–they are pieces of data showing us where we abandon ourselves and our deepest truth.
One idea to contemplate
Anger is fire–lifeforce. When we don’t express our anger in healthy ways, it still comes out but very messily and in ways that are destructive: as depression, as inner war and shame, as passive aggression, as confusion. I suppressed my anger for over ten years and I lost my aliveness and authenticity. I became progressively disconnected from my self-belief, my inner knowing and my truth. I felt resigned and depressed, as a shadow of myself. I lost my joy and I lost my lifeforce. Don’t shame yourself for having anger–anger becomes destructive when you repress it. When released and expressed cleanly, anger creates clarity, determination and zest for life.
Two questions for you
What’s the wisdom in your anger? How is your anger showing you the pathway to deeper connection with yourself and the people you love?
An experiment to try
The way to release anger in healthy ways is by expressing it by never at people. Beat a pillow, shout in your car, in the forest, on the beach. Go to a boxing class. Try this experiement for a week, and notice the impact it has on your inner war, clarity and drive.
Quote to ponder
“The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think” ― Gregory Bateson, anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, semiotician, and cyberneticist
Cover photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor