Research suggests that letting off steam, even in its most harmless forms, is not an effective way to control your anger. ... While you may temporarily feel better, the act of venting can lead you to have more difficulty with your anger down the road .
Why is venting not helpful?
Venting feels great in the moment, but it can actually make you feel worse in the long run. This is because venting can increase your stress and anger rather than reduce them . ... Cooling yourself off, regaining perspective, and expressing your stress in positive ways can be more healing in the long run.
Is venting toxic?
For sensitive people, a healthier way to express anger is through venting, whereas dumping is toxic and can traumatize and overwhelm us. For instance, if your spouse wants to vent, ask him or her to make a formal request by saying, “I have a request. I need to vent about an issue.
Why does venting make me feel worse?
But it actually creates more stress “because it keeps arousal levels high, aggressive thoughts active in memory, and angry feelings alive ,” Bushman said. “People say that venting feels good, but the good feeling doesn’t last, and it only reinforces aggressive impulses,” Bushman told MyHealthNewsDaily.
Is venting counterproductive?
Research shows that venting doesn’t help you feel better about your problems , and it can even make you feel worse over time. ... Reach out to your spouse or a friend, she said, and release your feelings. You’ve probably heard that advice before, too, and even practiced it.
Is venting actually healthy?
Research suggests that letting off steam, even in its most harmless forms, is not an effective way to control your anger. ... While you may temporarily feel better, the act of venting can lead you to have more difficulty with your anger down the road.
Is venting really healthy?
Why Venting
As a matter of fact, positive venting can reduce stress , but negative venting can lead to heightened stress and physical health concerns. It is not just about the person venting, but equally important, the person who is hearing the vent.
Is it bad to vent to friends?
While it’s fine to vent to friends and family on occasion , going overboard can put a strain on your relationships, tire friends out, and make others feel overwhelmed. “If you want to get a sense of how your venting affects people, ask them,” Karen R.
What to do when someone keeps venting to you?
Let them vent their feelings and when they finish, pick any of their words that had a lot of emotion attached . These can be words such as “Never,” “Screwed up,” or any other words spoken with high inflection. Then reply with, “Say more about “never” (or “screwed up,” etc.) That will help them drain even more.
How do you stop someone from venting?
say something! Keep your tone measured and fairly neutral ; while your friend probably should feel a little bit embarrassed by their behavior, aggressively shaming them isn’t going to help. If they are feeling attacked and defensive, they aren’t going to be able to really internalize what you’re saying.
What can I do instead of venting?
- 11 things to do instead of venting at work. ...
- Don’t hit send. ...
- Count to 10–or if you’re really angry, to 100–in your head. ...
- Look at pictures of others being loved or cared for. ...
- Breathe deeply. ...
- Listen to calming music. ...
- Turn off your phone or computer. ...
- Read a nonviolent book.
What’s the point of venting?
Venting your frustrations alleviates tension and stress . You almost always feel better—and “lighter”—after sharing some perceived threat, indignity, misfortune, or injustice. Yet ventilating, when it’s confined to repetitively self-vindicating messages, can also be self-limiting.
What is the difference between venting and complaining?
Whereas venting is an acknowledgement of YOUR emotion around a subject, complaining is pretty passive and it’s usually never going to come to a resolution until this person stops doing whatever you’re unable to handle. One is an expression of emotion that moves you forward or at least through.
Does venting make you angrier?
Why venting will make you even angrier
Since the time of Freud, a wealth of research has been published debunking his theories of anger management. ... Venting is essentially rehashing our anger and frustration, and thus it would make sense that ranting about something that made us angry would only make our anger worse.
How do you vent when you have no one to talk to?
- Try to write down your emotions as they come along.
- Express your feelings if possible. Do not keep them bottled up.
- Have a safe place and good people to vent whenever you can. ...
- Learn to identify any triggers that make you want to vent.
How can I vent my anger without hurting anyone?
- Throw or break something (safely). via GIPHY. ...
- Scream – in private. via GIPHY. ...
- Sing it out. via GIPHY. ...
- Dance it out. via GIPHY. ...
- Do a tough workout. via GIPHY. ...
- Journal. via GIPHY. ...
- Draw or paint. via GIPHY. ...
- Change your surroundings. via GIPHY.
