Have you ever wondered if venting was a useful way to release your emotions? Simply put, is venting good for you? I guess that depends on what you mean by venting. If by venting you mean screaming, yelling, ranting or raving about your problems, feelings and emotions with anger, then no, venting is not good. Maybe you’re saying to yourself, “yea, but releasing my emotions that way is necessary, if I keep them bottled up inside, I’ll explode one day.” That would be an understandable way to think, but not a wise one. Besides, if you are screaming, yelling, ranting or raving, then to some degree, you are already exploding.

So, what to do with all those feelings and emotions? I never said that you shouldn’t release them, I just don’t recommend venting in the aforementioned sense. The way in which some people vent is not healthy, that’s all. So let’s eliminate the misconceptions that venting by yelling, ranting and raving about our problems actually helps us and let’s work on venting in a positive, healthy manner instead.

When we are experiencing negative feelings and emotions, such as anger or fear, we may deem it necessary to express such feelings so as not to experience them alone. Expressing these feelings to someone by talking with them in a calm and rational manner can be very helpful and can actually greatly contribute to our letting go of such feelings. As the saying goes, “a problem shared is a problem lessened.” Just by letting someone else know of our feelings, we may experience release from them and perhaps the person with whom we are talking, will say something that helps us to feel better as well. When we are spinning thoughts around in our own minds, all we will get in return are our own thoughts.

Now, let’s talk about the person who is angry and feels a need to express it by screaming, yelling and complaining. This form of venting only adds fuel to the fire. It actually feeds the already present negative emotions as opposed to releasing them. And worse yet, we will damage those that are subjected to our outbursts. Most people do not find it pleasant to listen to angry tirades and it can do all kinds of damage to children and adults as well. Think about it. If you are already feeling angry, for example, doesn’t it make sense that opposite feelings, such as peace, serenity and happiness, would relieve the anger or do you think that continuing on with anger will somehow make you less angry?

This concludes Part I
Part II is “Keep Talking About It and It Will Grow“

Tags: Anger, Venting, Yelling