Thursday, June 11, 2020

Break Things

If you’re angry and you know it, break things.” (Custom Ink)

Anger is a natural emotion that offers invaluable information if we take the time to explore it. Anger stems from some perceived threat. It is almost always a reaction to and distraction from some form of inner suffering that might include feelings such as shame, fear, powerlessness, self-doubt, inadequacy, or betrayal. When fully explored, it is also about some key desire that may feel challenged or thwarted such as a desire for connection, validation, trust, or safety. As such, every moment engaged in anger is a temporary reprieve from some form of inner pain.

The first rage rooms opened in Japan in 2008 (or earlier). The concept spread to other countries such as Serbia, England, and Argentina. Today, there are hundreds of rage rooms in cities in the U.S. such as Huntsville, AL, Tucson, AZ, Austin, TX, Milwaukee, WI, Buffalo and Rochester, NY, Hampton, VA, Eugene, Charlotte, NC, Ogden,  American Fork, and Eugene, UT.

A rage room (also known as a smash or anger room) is a room designed to vent anger and destroy items for a fee (often to the accompaniment of music). Clients can break items by throwing them against hard surfaces or destroy items by smashing them with tools. These tools include sledge hammers, baseball bats, golf clubs, or crow bars.

Rage rooms consist of various household or office items including kitchen appliances, televisions, printers and more. Our Rage Room also offers the option to bring your own breakable stuff. Your own breakables could include anything from a coffee cup from a bad breakup, to an old office printer that caused you years of headaches.

The disadvantages of using a rage room include:

·        It emphasizes the momentary reward of destructive rather than more constructive strategies.

·        It further highlights the expectations of a quick and easy fix to your problems. By contrast, constructive strategies that contribute to healthy anger include physical activities such as running, working out, sports, relaxation exercises, yoga, and breathing exercises that foster calmness, happiness, and self-reflection to promote greater emotional intelligence.

·        It may serve as rehearsal for further acting out anger.

·        It offers no insight regarding those feelings and thoughts that foster the anger arousal, or into the wounds or inner pain that can make you vulnerable to that.

“This is cheaper than therapy.” (Custom Ink)[i]



[i] Sources used:
·        “3 Things That You've Gotta Know about Rage Rooms” By: Teresa Strasser and Mike Dunn

·        “Rage room” by MacMillan Dictionary

·        “Rage room” From Wikipedia

·        “Should You Visit an Anger Room?” by Bernard Golden

·        “Welcome to Rage Room Ohio” by Rage Room Ohio
 
This post was inspired by an episode of the Netflix series, Magic for Humans.
 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Everything

  “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” (Saint Augustine) It shouldn’t be surprising th...