“So angry! You hurt so long no wonder you are angry!”
This is what my acupuncturist exclaimed (in her wonderful Taiwanese accent) this morning.

I hadn’t thought of myself as holding a lot of anger these days, but apparently my body is saying something different. There is a particular spot the Taiwanese believe anger is held, and when Dr. Kime sticks a needle there I feel an electrical current run all the way to my toes!

Our bodies have a way of holding the emotions we decide are negative or inappropriate. You can’t control what you feel. You can only choose how to respond to those feelings.

All the feels we feel as we deal with grief, loss or chronic pain, no matter whether they are considered positive or negative, it is important to note and hold space for them.

Unresolved anger turns into depression, and depression can lead to despair. Just admitting the emotion is there by writing and/or talking about it, can help. Most of us can’t afford regular therapy sessions if our medical insurance doesn’t cover it, and so we need to find other outlets. Those outlets need to be chosen wisely. Use care in sharing your pain with friends or family — make sure it is a burden they are equipped to handle. Instead of talking about my anger and grief these days, I find writing in a journal helps. No one has to ever see the pages, but the dark feelings have been exposed to the light of day. Art has also become an outlet for me — and the dark, dreary drawings or canvases I create when working through grief and pain can be destroyed or painted over if I wish. But my anger doesn’t always have to be hidden away. Some of my angriest artwork has been my best. Recently I created a piece I call the Angry Snake that I like very much.

However you choose to do it, find healthy outlets for your emotions. I believe joy is possible, even for people in pain.