How do you manage your rage?

[LouCipherr]

Well, first off, I guess I can't say I really "rage" on anything or anyone - you'd have to seriously fuck up my day for that to happen. That being said, I do go through some major anger phases once in a while. How do I relieve that? Well, a few things: 1) Smoke a joint/bowl/bong/whatever is handy. Bassman and several others have it right. Light up and fuckin' chill out. Works for me 90% of the time. 2) Music is my friend. If I'm pissed off, I do one of two things: blast some REALLY heavy shit on my stereo or ipod, or I will sit down with my guitar in hand and just start playing or writing the heaviest, angriest shit that I can put down. Sometimes some great music comes from it! When they say music can be a cathartic experience, they are not kidding. I've not only relieved some of my anger, but sometimes I come up with some kickass tunes (see the coovan snorting scene from The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man. Was conceived during a bout of anger/frustration) 3) Nature. Sometimes, but rarely, I will just lock myself in a room and put something soothing on the ipod or stereo. An ocean or thunderstorm cd. Anything to just give me some peaceful, chill-out ambience which helps....sometimes. Ususally, 1 or 2 will do the trick. Times when neither of the three above work, I just go out and kill someone's kittens. That always helps.

[Tricky]

Well, first off, I guess I can't say I really "rage" on anything or anyone - you'd have to seriously fuck up my day for that to happen. That being said, I do go through some major anger phases once in a while. How do I relieve that? Well, a few things: Yeah thats like me, I never get in a blind rage, I just get a bit irritable and occasionally an inanimate object might get a kick, but mostly I'll just chunter & swear to myself a bit (usually happens when Im driving) I cant do the joint thing though, weed really sets my OCD & anxiety off, so I stay well clear of that! Slamming a bit of hard rock on the old stereo at ear bleeding volume does help, as do walks in the country, or even sometimes listening to a bit of enya or something like that

[Danny]

I know a friend of mine has a particular music thing for when she gets buggy. angry, worried, stressed, whatever. She says she puts on something like journey, daft punk, something that isn't angry or melancholic. something very hard to be in a negative mood whilst listening to. that or jsut go sit out in her garden and enjoy the day, which lets face it, nobody does really anymore. ive lived in my current place for almost a year now and maybe...ten times ive hung out in the garden?, im either out and about or inside, never out in my garden. Course i have a 70+yrs old, alcoholic mad russian lady who sunbathes topless.

[Ghost Of War]

Music is definitely my main outlet. Either some Slayer, Vader, some really heavy aggressive shit. Or if I need to chill, some Pink Floyd. Usually the heavier the better, though. I'm feeling a lot better tonight, but I've still got this underlying anger simmering away beneath the surface. My wife wants me to have a word with the doc to see if my medication can be changed from prozac, I've already had my dosage doubled in the past 6 months and maybe it's just not working for me.

[Danny]

Music is definitely my main outlet. Either some Slayer, Vader, some really heavy aggressive shit. Or if I need to chill, some Pink Floyd. Usually the heavier the better, though. I'm feeling a lot better tonight, but I've still got this underlying anger simmering away beneath the surface. My wife wants me to have a word with the doc to see if my medication can be changed from prozac, I've already had my dosage doubled in the past 6 months and maybe it's just not working for me. daft punks always worked for me with damn near anything. the discovery album in particular. hard to pissed off when face to face or digital love's playing. Though electric six works well too for me. Not into metal anymore. no reason really. just when some seven minute thing comes on, something long like raining blood it just seems... exhausting and i skip it on my shuffle.

[Tricky]

Get a bit of hayseed dixie on! you cant help but smile at them covering rock classics in the hillbilly style!

[acealive1]

Get a bit of hayseed dixie on! you cant help but smile at them covering rock classics in the hillbilly style! SCARRED. FOR. LIFE.

[Ghost Of War]

Get a bit of hayseed dixie on! you cant help but smile at them covering rock classics in the hillbilly style! LOVE this band, I saw them live in the o2 academy in Liverpool a while back. 'twas a great gig.

[Yojimbo]

::raises his hand as someone with experience:: As someone with a) a genetic predisposition to poor anxiety management, judging by my grandmother AND mother who can flip out and get so anxious/worried/upset over something minor-but-stressful so suddenly it can make them really sick for several hours. My anxiety doesn't take the same form as theirs, which I've tentatively concluded is a gender-related difference-of-expression. Me, I can get raised voice suddenly yelling/brief flash-point anger that boils up out of nowhere and then vanishes completely and totally just as quickly when stressed. b) Someone who has suffered from SEVERE Clinical Depression, severe Fibromyalgia, and a multi-layered series of causes of severe 24/7/365 chronic pain (some diagnosed issues explain parts of my pain(s), but not others) in the Lumbar region of my spine and in/around the Sacroiliac joints, one knee and my left shoulder due to some sort of inflammation-based problems.... I can tell you that if you've lost interest completely in something that, up until recently, was a primary form of recreation/source of relaxation, its an indicator of more than simply not being into the recent crop of video games. If that was all it was, it wouldn't explain why you didn't shift to playing old favorites for something to do. Not a doctor, but I've experienced enough to know you NEED to see your M.D and fully disclose ALL the details of your recent mental/emotional shifts. It could be as simple as additional stress, or it could be something much more serious like a chemical imbalance in the brain, serious depression, the emergence of some form of anxiety disorder. Your problem could even have a very real, very physical cause SymphonicX. Such as a hormonal imbalance, or even (God forbid) a brain tumor, lesion or cyst in an area now affecting you emotionally. My point is, this is a LOT MORE SERIOUS than learning to count to ten or meditate (though depending on the cause, many of these might prove helpful with symptom management IN ADDITION TO, NOT IN PLACE OF the examination by your M.D and any tests he/she might need to run, or that the specialist he refers you to may need to do to reach a diagnosis. Early detection and treatment can, depending on what's wrong, mean the difference between a dodged bullet and being screwed for life. Please, PLEASE, see your M.D and comprehensively explain ALL aspects of your problem. Then DO WHAT he/she SAYS. It's your health you're talking about. More serious, the health of your mind. Take it from someone who lives with ever-present agony AND emotional/psychological dysfunction(s)....the faster you go for medical diagnosis & treatment, the better your chances of putting this 100% behind you for good. Sure, it MIGHT be nothing serious. Might. Is your mental and emotional health something you want to gamble on "Might"? See your doctor. Well stated and undeniably sound advice. I salute wyld for his candor and insight. We all go south sometimes, but the mark of a sane person is to know when to ask for help with going south.

[Chic Freak]

I recommend counselling- if you're in the UK you can get it on the NHS in batches of three sessions over three weeks. Just ask your GP. DON'T self-prescribe drugs to suppress your rage as it turns it inwards, just changing it from anger to depression rather than actually managing it. I'm taking an acting class atm and finding a lot of rage bubbling out when I'm there. I feel oddly high when it's over

[MinionZombie]

I recommend counselling- if you're in the UK you can get it on the NHS in batches of three sessions over three weeks. Just ask your GP. DON'T self-prescribe drugs to suppress your rage as it turns it inwards, just changing it from anger to depression rather than actually managing it. I'm taking an acting class atm and finding a lot of rage bubbling out when I'm there. I feel oddly high when it's over Interesting thing you said about the acting class thingy. While not the same, I do remember back at uni I got all in a knot about something and had one of those 'wake up, realise something you said the night before, and want to disappear' moments and spent the entire day depressed as all get out ... anyway, that night I went to see a rock gig on campus and I just raged for the duration and came back feeling brilliant - like you said, Chic, you come back feeling kind of high. I've also had times when I've not dealt with rage/stress well ... several times in fact. One time was in the final semester and there was a lot of stuff going on that was stressing me out and making me paranoid over stupid things, and I eventually blew my lid over it all (something daft was the last straw, but it's a long story) and that re-adjusted the situation in the house for the better, but it didn't solve what was stressing me out. Another time was in the first year at uni and I was all bent out of shape over something - my outlook on many things was different back then - and I remember two housemates coming back drunk and they thought it would be a good idea to get my attention by throwing pebbles at my window, but one threw a stone and it broke the window. I. FLIPPED. MY. SHIT. over that and exploded into a fury I'd not had before and haven't had since. The rage was so pronounced that the stone thrower was terrified and actually thought he'd get thrown out of campus accomodation (although he was drunk at the time too), and my voice actually cut out completely mid-screaming-sentence. The girls in the res all came down as they were concerned, but also said later on how they were really quite scared - naturally I would have never directed my rage at them, but that was the one time that I royally went nuts and it quite surprised me (and everyone else at the time). It may sound a bit daft, but I've found games like GTA to be quite theraputic when you're a bit pissed off - you go on there and cause havoc and blast a bunch of peds away and smash about in cars and that, and I come away after an hour feeling more relaxed. I also remind myself of times when I have flipped my lid whenever I'm getting angry - like on the road when you're surrounded by fucking morons - because it makes me think "calm down, you don't want to do anything stupid, someone could get hurt" or whatever, and that makes me keep it in check. However I do think that there are just some times in our lives when everything can feel like it's getting on top of you (like my final semester at uni, as I said before, when there was a lot of stuff going on that was stressing me out, and there were issues that I was ignoring that were having an affect on me without me really knowing it) and there's not an awful lot you can do about it, but I think the first thing that can certainly be done is to realise that you're having a problem. Over your lifetime such effects on your psyche will come from differing sources and affect you in different ways and you'll deal with it in different ways as you get older and have more life experience, not that that'll really help much in dealing with the problem at present, but I suppose we learn to deal with different things at different times in our lives in different ways ... but I guess as it is with life, everybody's learning. Went off on a bit of a tangent there, but it all just sprung to mind.

[Tricky]

Paintballing is pretty good for de-stressing as well, its not the shooting at people that does it, that would be scary, its just the whole outdoors running around letting off steam thing, I always feel worn out & de-stressed after my monthly walk-on day! I've never got in a total blind rage, but I have come close a few times, notably when a woman ran into the back of my car last december, I got out of my car shouting & swearing and actually scared her (turns out she ran into someone else months before who actually got out & punched her which is why she was scared), as soon as I'd cooled off I felt utterly embarassed, ashamed & shaken that I'd kicked off like that, and I rang her to apologise for my behaviour which she accepted. Apart from that the only real tantrums i've had were with my dad when I was in my teens, I remember punching my bedroom wall a few times, or breaking things in my room after family arguments, but I think a lot of teens do that and worse.

[Chic Freak]

While not the same, I do remember back at uni I got all in a knot about something and had one of those 'wake up, realise something you said the night before, and want to disappear' moments and spent the entire day depressed as all get out ... anyway, that night I went to see a rock gig on campus and I just raged for the duration and came back feeling brilliant - like you said, Chic, you come back feeling kind of high. I know everyone thinks Freud's completely out of date (he was writing a long time ago, in fairness) but one of the smartest things he ever said was "depression is anger turned inward." Vent your rage successfully and you won't feel so depressed!

[MinionZombie]

I know everyone thinks Freud's completely out of date (he was writing a long time ago, in fairness) but one of the smartest things he ever said was "depression is anger turned inward." Vent your rage successfully and you won't feel so depressed! It's probably the best way to deal with it, at least immediately. If it's a recurring problem then obviously something more is necessary, but when it's something that can affect you from time to time - like it can to all of us - then getting that anger and stress out works wonders, like my above example. I cannot even describe the shift in attitude and how good I felt afterwards, with a shifted perspective on the issue so that I didn't care about it anymore. I just felt sooooooooo good after that gig (it was a kickass gig too). So, in short, find a way to express the pent up stress and aggression - it's the best way.