What do you do with your anger?

by Brittany Geragotelis

You know those times when you get so upset that you're seeing red? Someone says you'll never amount to anything. A teacher criticizes you. That one big bully humiliates you for the umpteenth time in front of everyone. The guy you love cheats on you....with your BFF...or even worse, your sworn enemy. Catch my drift?

You're mad. I'm talking shaking, clenching your fists, feel sick to your stomach pissed.

Now, what do you do with all that anger? How do you deal? Do you lash out at others? Hold it in until you're in the safety of your room and then collapse on the floor and cry? Write something mean about them on Facebook? Trust that Karma's a bitch and so are they? Maybe you exercise (isn't that what kickboxing classes are really for?), dance away your stress or watch a funny movie or TV show. Whatever your process, the important thing is to get rid of the anger, otherwise it'll just eat you up inside. You know what they say: holding onto resentments is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

photo credit: Taylor Swift

I've been listening to Taylor Swift's new album, Speak Now, the last few days (over and over again so I can learn all the lyrics, of course) and it's pretty clear that she's working through some issues of her own. She's got a song on there that's supposedly about her John Mayer and the sucky way he treated her. She's also got another song on the album that's apparently about the girl that stole another one of her ex's away. And one of my favorites is Mean, which seems to be about a bully who Taylor claims "all you'll ever be is mean."

I think it's pretty safe to say that Taylor works through her feelings by writing songs. And I've gotta say it seems like a pretty productive and theraputic way to let out her anger. Come to think of it, I suppose a lot of artists use their craft to sift through their emotions. Singers write what they experience in their everyday life. Directors like Wes Craven, name their evil, nightmarish monsters after high school bullies (I'm looking at you, Fred Kreuger).

And to be honest, I've even used my own writing as a way to "get back" at those who've pissed me off over the years. Oh, I may not use their names or even give an accurate description of them, but in my fictional world, I always get the last word and horrible people are put in their place. In my novels, the universe always punishes those who deserve it.

Come to think of it....that's actually pretty true to the real world, too. I believe that we get what we put out there. If you're nasty, nastiness will follow you. If you stab people in the back, you can expect a few knives of your own. You reap what you sow as they say. So, sometimes the best revenge is actually just sitting back and letting the universe work itself out....

Either that or you go ahead and write a song about them.

5x5,
B.