NPR

Feeling ragey? Don't bury your anger, process it. Here's how

We're often taught to repress our feelings and behave nicely. But anger has a biological purpose, and psychologists say it's healthier to embrace it. Here are four steps for working with anger.
Source: Maria Fabrizio for NPR

It's 9 a.m. and your to-do list is a mile long. Before you tackle it, your partner criticizes you, and your teen greets you with an eye roll. Meanwhile, you see a news clip about war or politics that pushes you over the edge.

If you often feel like you're boiling over, you're not alone. In fact, 23% of people surveyed in a Gallup Poll admitted feeling enraged a lot in 2022. This makes sense since there's plenty of stress to spark outrage.

While anger is common, many of us have a conflicted relationship with it. So often we're told that expressing our outrage makes us a "hothead" or means we have "issues." In other words, we're taught to feel bad about our anger. This is why it can be a revelation to learn that feeling angry isn't a character flaw — in fact, it has a biological purpose. Our emotions never hurt anyone. It's

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