Anger is one of the hardest to control emotions that humans experience. But, of course, it’s a normal feeling that everyone experiences. But that doesn’t mean it’s desirable. That’s because nothing good comes from anger if that rage isn’t reigned in. Being angry, in its natural form, will only push you towards destroying. But it’s harder to learn to use all that anger to do good.
There are two things you can do when you are struggling with anger. Either work to stop feeling it or work to learn how to use it. The first option can work, but it’s contingent on never getting mad again. But let’s face it. People feel things. People get angry, and sometimes they feel like they want to burn it all down. So don’t shove your feelings under the doormat in those instances.
They’re just going to resurface, eventually. So, instead, learn to channel all that energy towards better things. Instead of succumbing to impulses and destroying everything you see, learn to create. This channeling will help you process everything healthily. So, remember to use your anger to create something instead of keeping it all in.
6 Ways to Use Anger to Create Instead of Destroy
Try these six tips to turn negative energy into positive.
1 – Understand Why You Are Angry
When people get angry, they are destructive because they blame everyone, including themselves. But they keep blaming people without trying to take action. Indeed, you’ve got angry before and wanted to destroy everything. That’s because understanding what you feel and how to fix it can be hard to figure out. But that’s what you need to do when you are mad.
Sure, this will be hard to do right when you get angry. But the moment that rage takes over, you must give yourself a few minutes to take it all out. Yell at the walls if that’s what it takes. Just make sure you don’t take it out on anyone or do anything else you’re going to regret. Then, when you feel calmer, take a few minutes to sift through your thoughts.
Your anger will still be fresh, but you won’t be raging anymore, so that’s the best time to sort through your thoughts. The most important thing is to make it your mission to solve issues. If something or someone made you mad, understand why. Was it their fault only, or did you lose your temper too quickly? Did you trigger a fight, or was it something that got out of control?
It’s better to be introspective if you want to be productive after a fight. Then, when you get your answer, you’ll know what to change in your life to avoid issues like this from happening again.
2 – Remove the Bad Parts from Your Life
A study from 2017 revealed that anger is essential to human survival because it helps people overcome obstacles. In the same way, it enables you to get rid of the less desirable people and things in your life. But that occurs if you know how to use it. Intuitively, people would get their anger out and start being destructive aimlessly.
You might even take your anger out on people who have done nothing wrong. When you are angry, you could end up yelling at an innocent person simply because they asked you what’s up. If you want to avoid that, you need to use anger wisely. Anger gives you the desire to eliminate the bad parts. But logic will be what helps you select what those people or things are. If you have a friend who always tells you gossip that makes you angry at others, maybe they are the problem.
Remember that it’s easy to oversee the truth when you are angry. It’s easy to take the first explanation for why things are happening. If you want to be productive, use your anger to motivate yourself to tackle things.
3 – Enforce Boundaries to Avoid Anger
Anger is nothing more than your brain telling you it wants protection from whatever angered it. When you have lived through any injustice, you’ll want to ensure that it never happens again. But you will never be able to do that if you just set fire to everything and everyone that angers you. When you are destructive, people will tend to respect you and your boundaries less.
So, you’re essentially getting nowhere. But if you take that anger and use it to create a clear list of boundaries, that’s way more productive. Most people don’t understand what the point of boundaries is. But, as you live and people start angering you more and more, you’ll understand quickly.
Boundaries are just basic rules that tell others what not to do around you. For example, if you have been traumatized in an abusive household, it will probably trigger you to get yelled at. Boundaries should always protect things like that. So, if you want to create something out of anger, develop a set of boundaries. It’ll save you from more pain than you might think.
4 – Focus on Things That Matter
Anger is one of the best sources of motivation out there. It can help you put things into perspective and focus on the long game. But that’s if you don’t allow yourself to spiral and succumb to the anger. If you do that, you’ll only focus on how to get your revenge. But that’s never something desirable. Instead, it would be best to consider how to move on and make the best out of a bad situation.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity and wanting to destroy everything, use that anger to motivate yourself. If your personal life is falling to pieces, that might be the time to focus on your career. The more you want to destroy things, to more value you’ll give them. And that’ll disallow you from moving on. So don’t focus too much on things you can’t change. You can be mad, but don’t let rage take over your whole mind and soul.
Instead, list things you can still do and be good at. Those could be things already working well or things you are confident you can improve. Either way, make a plan and stick to it. And remember, the long term is still what matters most. It’s no use that you went off on someone, and you feel good now when you know you’ll feel guilty after.
5 – Find Activities to Engage In
If you want to ensure you are productive when dealing with rage, take it as an opportunity to start something new. This could mean starting a new hobby or simply trying something, even if it might not work. When you are angry, you have the most energy to put into things like this, so make good use of it. These new interests will distract you and help you move on.
Or, if they don’t distract you, at least they’ll allow you to blow off steam. And you need to be sure you can do that in a safe environment if you want to release your anger. So, for example, it’s better to try drawing or building houses whenever you are angry rather than drinking your sorrows away. Or, if you find it easier, do the same thing every time you are mad.
That could mean that whenever you are angry, you draw. Or it could mean that you blow off steam in other ways. For example, one of the most common passions amongst angry people is sports. Running, playing basketball, or even competitive racing, are all things that burn through anger in an instant.
It’s no wonder that most professional athletes talk about how they channel their anger into being the best. It’s because anger is one of the best emotions you can use to become motivated. Just be careful not to end up on the other extreme. Don’t destroy yourself or others in an attempt to blow off steam. Going for a run is always good, but yelling at a loved one isn’t.
6 – Work on Yourself to Keep Anger in Check
Whenever people are angry, they tend to blame everyone for all the bad things happening. If your friends are all leaving you, that’s not always their fault. It might be a sign that the one who needs to change is you, not them. So, instead of pushing people away because you are mad, take time to work on yourself.
You might find that, though some people and things are not suitable for you, that’s not the only problem. Maybe one of the reasons why you aren’t happy is because of yourself. Keep in mind that being on the journey towards growth is something respectable. You should never be ashamed of learning, as no one ever stops growing.
Remember to take some time to reflect or meditate whenever you are angry. Make sense of everything you are feeling. That might give you an idea of why things aren’t working as they should. Then, use all that energy to become better. Meditate more, exercise, and eat healthier. All these changes will help you be happier.
Final Thoughts on Ways to Use Anger to Create Instead of Destroy
Anger is never a fun emotion, nor is it easy to ignore. When you are angry, you must process everything; otherwise, you’ll end up spiraling. If you would only hurt yourself during the process, that’d be one thing. But it would still be wrong and something you should change. But anger is dangerous because it makes you hurt people you would never dream of harming.
Anger is so intense that it’s enough for someone to be around an angry person, and they risk getting yelled at. Everyone has made this mistake before, and you’ll keep doing it if you don’t learn how to fix it. You need to know to use anger to create, not destroy.
There are many things you can do to use anger, but most have to do with how you act. Use anger to reach your goals, create better boundaries, and focus on what matters. Make sense of what you feel and how you can change that. And, most importantly, find healthy ways to cope. For example, try a new hobby or even get into sports to help you blow off some steam.