We’ve all had horrible days, where we feel that the world just has something against us and nothing seems to go our way, and those negative emotions and thoughts are just too cumbersome to carry in our hearts, and letting it off through venting seems downright necessary! And though it may seem natural and normal to rant out your stresses with a friend it does nothing but offer relief that is very short-lived. Also relying on ranting often makes us position ourselves as a victim rather than a hero to the problems we face in life. Here’s why venting actually make things worse:
The reason most of us vent is because we have somehow concluded that if we don’t let go of this internal stress that has been built up in our chests for some time, we will explode to an even worse unstable emotional state, making ranting act as a means of catharsis. Fortunately, science has now proven this theory as false by debunking it completely. What research does state however, is that venting only helps us remember the anger and inhibits us from thinking on how to tackle similar situations in the future.
Often we rant to the ears of those who will most likely accept our side of the story despite what may actually be the truth, without once questioning how we could have been part of the problem also. This not only makes us stay angrier longer but further strengthens our perspective that we have been dealt with unfairly in the issue and further impairs our ability on being proactive in such matters.
Like I earlier mentioned the urge to complain or vent is quite human, but there much better ways to tackle the situation:
A good deed can bring the positivity you need, making another person’s day bright when you’re feeling low makes it really difficult to feel hard on yourself and it does not necessarily need to be something grand, simple gestures like a compliment or even a hug is sufficient as long as it’s sincere.
Sometimes we just need to relax, calm the mind by embracing that anger is just a natural emotion, and we must move past it rather be consumed by the stress it has caused, mediation has shown to work wonders in just a single session, but even counting to ten can also be beneficial.
Though venting may not be the best approach to let off some steam, but if you feel you must then speak to someone who has nothing to gain on the matter, and is able to broaden your mind to see the issue differently while lending a supportive ear like a therapist.
Sweating it out can really help, especially if you transform and free that pressure into something more constructive like a personal record of fitness that you always wanted to reach like squatting more weight or doing a 100 push ups in a single set, even just making the simple decision to go for a walk to get your head straight, rather than ranting will not only make you feel good with the endorphins released but motivate you to be more proactive in difficult situations.
Once again being down or angry when things aren’t going as planned is normal, just take a deep breath and realize that in most cases you are in more charge than you assumed provided you take the conscious effort in facing your problems and not avoid them.
