Let’s say you make the perfect cup of coffee, then you turn around for one second and the cat has knocked it off the table.
Maybe someone cut you off on your way home from work, and then they made a rude gesture at you.
Whatever it is, you’re mad. And who do you tell?
Whatever you do, don’t go to Facebook.
Several recent studies have shown that venting about your problems doesn’t actually make you feel better about them.
In fact, as you may have already realized, it only makes you angrier.
Why is this? You’d think letting the world know how mad you are would at least get the bad energy out, right? ##MN_RESP##
No, it actually makes you dwell for much longer on the problem than you would if you just forgot about it.
So how CAN you feel better?
- Count until you’re calmer. Count to 10, count to 100, count to 37. However long it takes you to calm down and think rationally about what happened, take that time.
- Laugh at something. Just as science has actually found that watching cat videos is good for your health, laughing really can be a good medicine. Find a funny video online, watch a sitcom, or read the funny papers. Whatever gets a chuckle out of you is best.
- Try meditating. Clearing your mind of what happened really will help you feel better.
- Go exercise. Physical activity can help you relieve the stress caused by your situation. It also releases endorphins to help you feel happier.
So next time you get mad, chill out. Telling Facebook or texting your friend won’t help.
