Session 8

Just finished a much less intense session! Phew! We primarily talked about anger and how to express it in a healthy way as it's an emotion I avoid. We talked about unhealthy coping mechanisms and the awareness and realization of them as well as their root cause (childhood). Kids who are raised in abusive situations or ones with toxic anger can develop a fear of anger and the perception that it is a bad emotion to feel, which is very accurate for me. "Depression is anger turned inwards" hits so close to home it's almost painful. 

Some strategies for expressing anger in a healthy way that we discussed are:

- going for walks (as I can't run anymore) - this ties into EMDR and the bilateral eye movements and bilateral body movement

- going for drives - I expressed concern about safety when driving angry. This safety planning was beneficial as it recognized my past tendency for self harm when feeling angry. 

- art (messy painting or intentional creations)

- punching a mattress/bed/pillow

- screaming into a pillow or while alone in the car

- kick boxing (post-covid, regular activity for that continuous release)

- journaling/writing down anger-provoking thoughts to identify them and give them a name.