Mindfulness Practice: Anger

As therapists, we regularly incorporate mindfulness or meditation into our work. Nearly every therapeutic model encourages mindfulness as a practice to be more aware of yourself (be that thoughts, feelings, and/or actions), be more aware of how your experiences might be impacting you, and to be used as a positive coping tool.

Here is an example of a mindfulness script that we might use in our work. Should you be interested in exploring other ways mindfulness might be helpful to you, please feel free to contact us.

Meditation for Anger

Wow, so you’re really angry. Why wouldn’t you be! So much is going on in the world these days that it’s almost easier to list what you AREN’T mad about, and with good reason! Regardless of whether you are considering worldwide atrocities or that one Karen at your workplace, that simmering under your skin must be filling you with a whole lot of energy you don’t know what to do with.

Let’s just take a moment to really allow that anger and feel what’s coming up. Where do you feel it in your body? I feel angry in my fists, like I just want to DO something with this anger, but others feel it in their temples, their stomach, or their chest. 

Just feel it, just like that. 

 Is your anger red? Or maybe it's swirls of orange and yellows. Or hell, maybe it's even black, just sucking you in, all-encompassing. Where does this start? Is it creeping down your arms from the middle of your chest? Or maybe it feels like it’s about to explode out of your head? Everyone is different.

Regardless of whether you would rather be anything but angry or if you want to lash out and burn the world down, we both know you’ll probably feel real tired if you just let this brew, and build, and combust. So let’s see what we can do with it, right? 

Let’s try something. Ball your hands up into fists. Really, really tight. So tight you can feel them start to shake. Keep them like this, then do the same with your arms. Bring your elbows in to your sides, your fists tight against your chest. Do it  with the rest of your body, raise your shoulders, clench your calves, curl your toes.

Now, I want you to work backwards from what we just did. Let your toes uncurl Now your calves. Your arms, your shoulders. And finally, your fists. Notice what it feels like to maybe still have that anger in your head, but let your body relax.

Notice how you probably started to clench up again when we brought attention back to your anger. See what it's like to purposefully unclench, relax, all the while not trying to force those angry thoughts away.  Don’t try to hold onto it too tightly either, just let it be there.

In fact, let’s just think of them as if they are just words floating across your brain. Bring to mind again what you are angry about, but be mindful to not clench. Relax your body, but let’s not force away or try to relax your mind.

Let’s label these experiences. It makes sense why you are so angry. Right or wrong, good or bad, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it makes sense, and you’re experiencing it now, and that is okay, as much as it might feel absolutely awful. So when these thoughts come up, let’s not try to make them even angrier OR make them go away. You might say “I’m noticing that I'm having this thought”. And you can add in whatever is relevant to you. Maybe some of these, for example:

I’m noticing that I’m having the thought that that person really pissed me off.

I’m noticing…. that I’m having the thought…. that this life is just so overwhelming.

I’m noticing….. that I’m having the thought…. That the world is messed up in so many different ways, and it feels impossible to do anything about it right now.

Maybe you’re still angry, but maybe it feels a bit more bearable. Remember, being angry isn’t inherently a bad thing. It’s understandable, it makes sense. But you are still in control of your actions. You have the power to act in a way that a future you would be proud of.  You aren’t doing this for other people, but for yourself. Shoulders back, head up. Breathe. You can handle it. You are still you, and you can still be the person you want to be.

If you found this mindfulness practice helpful and want to explore more tools to manage anger in a supportive, therapeutic setting, we’re here to help.

Learn more about our anger management services or contact us today to book a session and take the next step toward a calmer, more grounded you.