3 Somatic Exercises for Releasing Anger and Frustration
Anger is a perfectly normal human response, but it can have significant effects on the nervous system when not dealt with appropriately. In this article, we’ll explore how the nervous system responds to anger and frustration and how somatic exercises can play a key role in managing such strong emotions.
How Anger Impacts the Nervous System
Anger and frustration can quickly trigger the sympathetic nervous system, activating the body’s “fight or flight” mode. Whether these emotions are in response to an internal or external stressor, you can expect them to culminate in a physiological response within the body.
Immediate Effects of Anger on the Nervous System
The immediate effects of anger and frustration include a release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and physiological responses such as:
Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
Dilated pupils
Warm or flushed skin
Tensing of muscles, particularly in the jaw, neck, and shoulders
Redistribution of blood flow away from the digestive system and towards the muscles
While a certain level of anger can help in life-threatening and defensive situations, suppressed anger takes a major toll on our overall health and well-being.
Long Term Effects of Anger on the Nervous System
Prolonged periods of anger and frustration have been linked to a number of health risks including high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Since anger shunts blood flow away from the digestive system, this can lead to gastrointestinal issues and with the elevated cortisol levels that anger brings with it, the immune system begins to weaken.
It’s fairly obvious, but worth mentioning that anger negatively affects mental health as well. Excess anger and frustration can lead to tumultuous emotions and interactions with family, friends, or co-workers often giving way to feelings of loneliness, being misunderstood, or isolated. This can create a vicious cycle, further frustration, and is why finding effective coping strategies to deal with anger is so important.
How Somatic Exercises Help to Release Anger
Somatic exercises are designed to release stored emotions and stress from the body. Using somatic exercises to release anger is one of the most simple and effective ways to restore peace and balance within your body and mind. In fact, we’ll go as far to say that somatic exercises are the most effective way to quickly release anger and frustration.
If you are holding onto pent up anger and frustration, somatic exercises allow for a constructive way to activate the “fight” response of the sympathetic nervous system. As your body finds relief and begins to release energy, your nervous system can begin to shift into a more regulated state of the parasympathetic nervous system or the play state which allows for your body to rest and come back to balance.
SOURCE: NEUROFIT
3 Somatic Exercises for Releasing Anger and Frustration
If you’re still a bit skeptical around how somatic exercises can help in releasing anger, we’d suggest trying one of these 3 following exercises from the NEUROFIT App:
1. Sacred Rage
Sacred Rage taps into the body's 'fight' response, allowing you to safely express and release pent-up anger. By physically moving and vocalizing, you're mimicking the natural stress release mechanisms in the body, which leaves the body feeling more calm and grounded.
How to do it:
While standing up, inhale and lift the arms above the head, raising the shoulders. On each each exhale and downward motion, focus on releasing anger with powerful and intentional movements.
2. Standing Breath of Fire
This exercise works by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, your body's 'gas pedal', increasing alertness and energy. The rapid inhalations and exhalations also enhance oxygen flow, boosting your overall vitality.
How it works:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands open by your sides, your chest forward, and your chin lightly tucked. Breath powerful breaths out through your nose, snapping your abdominals in to increase the power. Keep your focus on the exhales - the inhales will follow naturally.
3. Eye Press Breathing
Closed eyes, awareness of the lower belly and slower breath through the nose are all techniques that communicate to the nervous system that it is safe to slow down.
How it works:
As you lay down, press your wrists lightly against your closed eyes and focus on taking slow, deep breaths through your nose.
Managing Anger Through Nervous System Regulation
While somatic exercises can provide immediate relief from negative emotions such as anger and frustration, it’s important to understand that the path to long-term anger management will take consistency and a routine. Making nervous system regulation part of your daily life will help to build a higher tolerance to stress and help you to respond to life’s stressful moments more proactively.
The NEUROFIT App is designed to improve well-being fast and provides a simplified solution to managing anger and frustration daily. Start your day with a 1 minute check-in of your nervous system state, track heart rate variability inside the app (no extra wearable needed), receive personalized somatic exercise suggestions, and even work through suppressed emotions with our CLEAR, AI-coach.
We’re proud to say that NEUROFIT App users report 54% less stress after just 7 days!
Conclusion
The relationship between anger, frustration, and the nervous system is significant. While these emotions are natural responses to various stressors, their impact on our physiological and mental health should not be overlooked. By embracing somatic exercises for anger and frustration and making nervous system regulation routine, you’re setting yourself up for not just immediate relief, but also long-term resilience against stress.
To gain a better perspective on the current state of your nervous system, take our 2-minute Nervous System Regulation Quiz.