By Patia Braithwaite
Senior Health Editor
SELF
If you clicked on this article, there’s a chance you’re angry. Maybe you’re more than angry. Maybe you’re experiencing a white-hot rage that burns through your body and steals your breath. Maybe you’re shedding angry tears amid this chaotic election season. Or maybe your anger is mingling with grief from the immeasurable impact of the new coronavirus pandemic. If you’re angry and you know it: Same.
Before we get into tips on how to deal with anger and rage you might be feeling, let’s make one thing clear: You’re allowed to be angry. Even if this election is panning out as you expected, you’re allowed to feel the soul-shaking anger that comes with knowing you deserve better from civil servants and the systems they uphold. And anger can even be useful in the sense that it can motivate you to push for change, whether in your own life or in a larger sense. But, for the sake of your health and well-being, it’s still important to process that anger.
“Usually, there’s some primary emotion that’s underneath that anger,” Vernessa Roberts, Psy.D., a counseling psychologist, tells SELF. “If it’s anxiety, fear, sadness, or disappointment—whatever it is—it’s often difficult for us to express those primary emotions. Anger is sometimes more acceptable to express.”
Below you’ll find advice on how to deal with anger and rage you’re feeling right now. We hope these therapy-approved techniques help keep you comfortable and centered as you grapple with the state of, well, everything.