Hello and welcome to The Tonic Method.
This is Taryn and today we are going to be meditating on the feeling of anger.
So if you've been feeling really angry or just frustrated and activated,
This is for you.
Let's find a seated position where your spine is upright but not rigid.
Just settling into a comfortable position that you can maintain for the next few minutes.
Starting to become aware of your body,
Become aware of your breath without trying to change or alter anything right away.
Just notice what you're coming in with,
Noticing any feelings,
Any thoughts without getting too pulled into them.
Anger is not a problem to eliminate.
It is an activation state.
It is your nervous system mobilizing energy in order to respond to a stimulus.
Anger often appears when a boundary feels crossed or when something feels unfamiliar or when a need feels unmet.
So before we regulate it today,
We have to normalize it.
There is nothing wrong with anger.
What matters is how we relate to it.
Begin to take a slow inhale through your nose and then exhale through your mouth slowly.
Again,
Inhale and exhale longer than the inhale.
Anger lives in the sympathetic nervous system.
The body prepares to act.
Your heart rate increases,
Muscles tighten,
Jaw clenches.
We are not suppressing any of these feelings.
We are widening your capacity to feel it without being driven by it.
Bring your awareness to your jaw.
Unclench your jaw.
Relax it.
Maybe move it from side to side a couple of times slowly.
Let your tongue drop from the roof of your mouth,
Noticing your shoulders.
Let them lower slightly.
Now notice your hands.
Are they feeling tight?
Are they feeling a little bit sweaty?
Let your palms just rest open on your thighs.
This is somatic de-escalation.
Now let's bring in some cognitive regulation.
Begin to notice the thoughts fueling the anger.
Are they absolute thoughts?
Thoughts like,
They always do this.
They never do that.
This is so completely unfair.
In cognitive behavioral therapy,
We call these cognitive distortions.
So without judging them,
Let's gently label what is a story,
What is not true.
As you go through the thoughts,
Labeling what is a story,
What is an absolute,
Creating space between you and your thoughts.
Now just asking yourself,
What boundary of mind feels crossed right now?
What need of mind feels unmet?
Anger is often protective and can be defensive.
So when we regulate these thoughts,
It becomes more clear where our boundaries may have been crossed or our needs have been unmet.
So just sit with that for a moment.
Placing both feet firmly on the ground,
Wiggling your toes,
Pressing your palms gently into your thighs.
Feel the strength and resistance of your body without any aggression,
Without intensity and tension.
And just say to yourself silently or in your head or out loud,
I can feel this anger without becoming reactive.
Take a slow inhale.
Long exhale.
When we learn to regulate our anger,
It becomes assertiveness.
It becomes self-respect.
And it becomes self-regulation.
So let's take another breath.
Let your body settle in the space that you are in.
You are in control of your anger.
You are in control of your body.
You are in control.
Let's take one final breath here.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for taking the time to process your anger.
Thank you for taking the time to sit with your anger.
Remember,
There is nothing wrong with anger.
It is all about how you respond to the anger that you feel.
Go and do something calming,
Soothing for yourself,
Or maybe go and do something that will help you to release the anger,
Whether that is getting a workout in or singing out loud or doing something to express yourself.
Remember that emotion is just energy in motion.
Thanks for taking the time to practice with me today.
Until we meet again,
Until our paths cross again,
Stay well.
