Somatic Exercise: A Healthy Way to Release Anger + Frustration — NEUROFIT (2024)

Ever felt like a volcano about to erupt? A seething, boiling mass of emotions threatening to explode any second?

We all have. Anger is an intense emotion we're no strangers to. But when anger issues start clouding our judgment and affecting our relationships, that's when you can benefit from somatic exercises to release anger.

Interested in knowing how somatic exercises can aid in releasing pent-up frustration or rage? Or perhaps the role relaxation techniques play in anger management?

You're on the right track! Stay tuned as we dive deeper into these solutions... and more!

Understanding Anger and Its Impact on Mental Health

Anger is a normal emotion, just like joy or sadness, but when anger becomes persistent and uncontrolled, it can lead to significant problems both mentally and physically.

The Dangers of Unmanaged Anger

Uncontrolled anger isn't just about feeling mad all the time; it has real consequences for your health too. Persistent feelings of rage can lead to serious issues such as cardiovascular issues, which is why managing these intense emotions is so important.

Apart from hurting others' feelings with harsh words or actions, suppressed anger can also cause negative thoughts that are harmful to one's own mental well-being.

Frequent bouts of uncontrolled anger could potentially result in chronic high blood pressure - an issue highlighted by research from the Mayo Clinic. When you're always fired up, your heart works harder than usual causing strain over time leading to higher risks for cardiovascular disease.

If you find yourself dealing with this kind of chronic anger regularly, remember: an alternative route is available. You don't need a punching bag or physical activity alone; to recognize triggers along with proper breathing techniques may be enough to start regaining control over how events affect you emotionally.

Signs You’re Holding Onto Unresolved or Repressed Anger

Our bodies are wise and can give us powerful clues when anger remains repressed or unexpressed. Here are 10 signs that may indicate someone is holding onto unresolved anger in their body:

  1. Frequent Headaches: Chronic tension headaches are often a sign that anger is being repressed. Muscle tension builds up in the neck and shoulders, causing painful headaches.

  2. Jaw Clenching and Teeth Grinding: Grinding of the teeth, known as bruxism, or constant jaw clenching can be physical manifestations of anger that has not been released.

  3. Digestive Issues: Unresolved anger can manifest as digestive problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), indigestion, or acid reflux. The gut is highly connected to our emotional state, and repressed anger can impact our digestive system.

  4. Chronic Muscle Tension: Ongoing muscular tightness, especially in the neck, shoulders, and back, can be related to repressed anger. The body holds onto tension, trying to protect itself from potential threats.

  5. Insomnia or Disrupted Sleep: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep can be a sign of unsettled anger. The body's fight-or-flight response can be activated, preventing individuals from achieving restorative sleep.

  6. Irritability and Impatience: When anger is repressed, it tends to seep out in other areas of life. Someone holding onto unresolved anger may find themselves easily annoyed, irritable, or impatient with others.

  7. Passive-Aggressive Behavior: Unexpressed anger can manifest as passive-aggressive behavior. Subtle jabs, sarcasm, or intentionally withholding information can be signs of anger that has not been acknowledged or addressed.

  8. Chronic Fatigue: Repressed anger can deplete our energy levels, leaving us feeling constantly fatigued and drained. The emotional burden of unexpressed anger can be exhausting to carry.

  9. Intense Negative Emotions: A person harboring unresolved anger may experience regular bouts of sadness, anxiety, or depression. These emotions can be a result of the internal turmoil caused by unexpressed anger.

  10. Physical Ailments without Medical Explanation: Sometimes, individuals with repressed anger may experience physical symptoms without any discernible medical cause. These can include unexplained aches, pains, or mysterious ailments.

Somatic Exercise - A Powerful Tool for Releasing Anger

Somatic exercises, which involve mindful body movements, can help in regulating emotions by maintaining a balanced nervous system. When we experience anger or rage, our bodies often tense up as part of a natural fight-or-flight response. Somatic exercises encourage us to focus on these physical sensations and gradually release them through controlled movement.

Examples of Somatic Exercises VIA NEUROFIT APP:

The Power Of Physical Release

If your rage feels too powerful for calming techniques alone, try safely releasing it physically first before moving onto more soothing practices. Throwing something harmless - such as balled-up socks against a blank wall - provides an outlet without causing harm or damage.

Powerful high-energy exercises from NEUROFIT App that can assist with this include:

  • Sacred Rage

  • Tree Shaking

  • Butterfly

  • Ecstatic Dance

The Importance of Regulating Emotions and Maintaining a Balanced Nervous System

It's not unusual to feel angry. But when that anger becomes a frequent visitor, it can wreak havoc on your mental health and nervous system. This is where emotional regulation steps in.

The Role of Relaxation Techniques in Lowering Intensity Anger

Mind-body workouts, like the ones listed above, aim to reconnect you with the physical sensations often lost during moments of high stress or anxiety - think of them as taking your nervous system for a much-needed spa day.

By focusing on controlled movements and breathwork and giving yourself some quiet time, these practices activate our parasympathetic nervous system (the body’s natural chill-out mechanism). They act like an internal dimmer switch dialing down the intensity level from red-hot rage to manageable annoyance. Studies have shown these methods are successful in managing lower-intensity anger effectively.

They also help to reduce the buildup of Allostatic Load - built up stress and tension in the nervous system and improve your resilience to stress in the long-term.

Beyond just providing temporary relief though, consistent use helps build resilience over time—a buffer zone against future outbursts or episodes—ultimately leading us towards healthier relationships with ourselves and others around us. Recent research suggests such ongoing commitment leads to lasting changes within our brain itself.

Key Takeaway:

What to do when you feel like your anger's taking over? Dial down the rage with relaxation techniques. Somatic exercises, breathwork & tools inside the NEUROFIT App can help manage heavy emotions. More than a quick fix - they build resilience and healthier relationships.

FAQs in Relation to Release Anger

How do you release anger instantly?

Complete a somatic exercise via NEUROFIT App to release pent up anger in just 2 to 3 minutes.

How do you release trapped anger?

To free pent-up fury, try high-energy exercises like boxing or sprinting. Channeling feelings into artistic expression like painting, music or dance can also work wonders. Somatic exercises, such as those featured in the NEUROFIT App can assist also.

How to get rid of anger?

Somatic exercise, relaxation techniques, verbalizing the feeling even to an empty chair - these are some methods that aid in dissipating anger. Regulating emotions and tracking your nervous system state (through the NEUROFIT app) is another simple and effective strategy.

Conclusion

Releasing anger doesn't have to feel like defusing a bomb. We've discussed how you can take control, with strategies from understanding the risks of unmanaged anger to employing somatic exercises.

The NEUROFIT app could be another great tool in managing those moments when you feel overwhelmed by anger and need help restoring balance.

In essence, knowing how to effectively release anger leads not only towards healthier relationships but also improved mental health. Keep these tips at hand for whenever things get heated!

Start your 6-week nervous system reset with the NEUROFIT App.

Somatic Exercise: A Healthy Way to Release Anger + Frustration — NEUROFIT (2024)

FAQs

How to release anger and frustration? ›

When your temper flares, put relaxation skills to work. Practice deep-breathing exercises, imagine a relaxing scene, or repeat a calming word or phrase, such as "Take it easy." You might also listen to music, write in a journal or do a few yoga poses — whatever it takes to encourage relaxation.

What emotion is behind anger? ›

Typically, we experience a primary emotion like fear, loss, or sadness first. Because these emotions create feelings of vulnerability and loss of control, they make us uncomfortable. One way of attempting to deal with these feelings is by subconsciously shifting into anger.

Do somatic workouts really release emotions? ›

“Somatic movement helps people get in tune with their body, release built-up emotions, let go of trauma, and manage mental health,” says Peloton instructor Kristin McGee. “Somatic movement is done consciously and focuses on the internal experience rather than the outcome,” she says.

What organ holds anger? ›

03/6​Anger - Liver

The emotion of anger is associated with the choleric humor and can cause resentment and irritability. It is believed that this emotion is stored in the liver and gall bladder, which contain bile. Anger can cause headaches and hypertension which can in turn affect the stomach and the spleen.

Where in the body is anger stored? ›

Lower Back. Our lower backs store most of our unexpressed anger. Many people develop severe and debilitating pain in the lumbar region of the back. Chronic stress activates the sympathetic nervous system that puts pressure on the spinal cord.

How do you break the anger cycle? ›

Strategies to keep anger at bay
  1. Check yourself. It's hard to make smart choices when you're in the grips of a powerful negative emotion. ...
  2. Don't dwell. ...
  3. Change the way you think. ...
  4. Relax. ...
  5. Improve your communication skills. ...
  6. Get active. ...
  7. Recognize (and avoid) your triggers.

How do you release subconscious anger? ›

Here are a few strategies you can do on your own:
  1. Change your environment. Sometimes a change in environment is enough to help prevent feelings of anger from being repressed. ...
  2. Work it out. ...
  3. Challenge your thinking. ...
  4. Practice relaxation exercises. ...
  5. Use creative arts.
May 20, 2019

How to process anger from trauma? ›

Treatments for Anger

Cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms in people with PTSD,” she says. Cognitive behavioral therapy and emotion-focused therapy may also help in understanding and managing anger, says Hargrove.

What is the root cause of anger issues? ›

Past experiences

Especially if you weren't able to safely express your anger at the time. Those situations could include abuse, trauma, racism or bullying (either as a child or more recently as an adult). This might mean that you now find some situations very difficult, and more likely to make you angry.

What lies beneath anger? ›

Beneath the surface of anger lie primary emotions that drive this secondary reaction. These underlying emotions can include hurt, fear, frustration, sadness, or vulnerability. It's often challenging to tap into these emotions because society often encourages us to suppress or deny them.

Why am I always angry and irritated for no reason? ›

It can be normal, but if it persists, it may indicate a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety. Both physical and mental health conditions can cause irritability. Consult your doctor if irritability disrupts your daily life, to rule out underlying conditions.

How do I start somatic exercise? ›

5 Simple Somatic Stretches for Beginners
  1. Stand straight with your feet rooted. ...
  2. Try to contract and release your foot muscles.
  3. Take deep breaths, noticing how your abdominal muscles expand and contract, and how this feels.
  4. Finally, scan your body from top to bottom, noticing how your different muscles feel.
May 22, 2024

How can I do somatic therapy by myself? ›

Here are a few grounding techniques to try at home:
  1. Run water over your hands. ...
  2. Move your body in ways that feel most comfortable to you. ...
  3. Focus on your breathing while you control how you inhale and exhale. ...
  4. Tense and relax different parts of your body. ...
  5. Play a “categories” game with yourself.
Jul 21, 2021

Why do people cry during somatic workouts? ›

In somatic therapy, these sensations, along with things like crying, shaking, or shivering, are considered to be a discharge of the energy trapped in your body.

How do you release anger trapped in your body? ›

Maybe you feel the need to cry, scream into a pillow, go for a swim, walk or run, dance it out, hit a punching bag, do some gardening, tapping, yoga or TRE, paint your feelings out, or simply breathe deeply while facing the sun—whatever feels cathartic in that moment, do it.

How do you release somatic tension? ›

Step 1: Start by lying on your back with your arms out to the side and your legs extended. Step 2: Take a few deep breaths. Step 3: Scan your body, relaxing your muscles and letting your body relax into the mat.

What are somatic sensations of anger? ›

Somatization is the name used when emotional distress is expressed by physical symptoms. Everyone experiences somatization at times. Examples can include your heart beating fast or butterflies in your stomach when you feel nervous, or muscles becoming tense and sore when you feel angry or under stress.

How do you calm somatic symptoms? ›

Learning stress management and relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, may help improve symptoms. Get physically active. A graduated activity program may have a calming effect on your mood, improve your physical symptoms and help improve your physical function. Participate in activities.

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