Daring to Rage

There’s a lot of rage in the world right now. Rage at a national level. A local level. Individually and collectively, and probably somewhere around you, someone is feeling rage. It might even be you.

I’ve been feeling rage.

I am lucky that I got to do a couple of things that helped me channel that powerful emotion. Doing something about it is important.

( Well, I did many things actually – connecting to the strong women around me was helped. People like Kathy MacFee and others – I spoke twice in the past couple of week, using this speech as a source. Speaking helps me process rage. I facilitated a conversation about abortion. In South Carolina. At the State House. That empowered me)

At some point, you’re going to deal with Rage. You need to deal with your rage. If you do not expel your rage, it can and probably will cause some sort of collapse within you.

What to do with RAGE

I do any number of these things listed below to help me move Rage through my body and outside of myself. Rage, when channeled can be a clean burning fuel; a well of energy. Finding  productive releases for it is part of the challenge of being human.

Dance – start with tapping your toe if dancing makes you uncomfortable and let it inspire the rest of your body.  Punk, Heavy Metal, African Drums are all great to dance some rage out to.
Take a movement class
Hit a couch with a broom
Hit a bed with a bat
Shake a soup can

Really, really hard

Go to the driving range
Go to a shooting range
Go to a batting cage

Go bowling
Hit a pillow
Scream. At the ocean, in the mountains, in your car.
Sing. In your car, in the shower, in your office. Sing your most ragey song.

Write. Write like your heart and soul depend on it.
Scribble
Growl
Howl
Cry

 All of these are good, wholesome ways to express rage. They have no gender - they are neutral actions that help our emotional bodies maintain stasis. That is, keep us centered. And if we don’t express., we depress. Or we oppress someone else.  Sometimes we don’t catch rage until it’s too late and someone gets hurt. Or a lot of people get hurt.

Rage is hard to talk about. It’s even harder to acknowledge in one’s self. But the conscious acceptance of that rage allows you to integrate and direct it. Given appropriate attention, Rage transforms into a clean source of energy.

You’ll become more you. You’ll take up more space.

And that’s a daring thing to do.