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Over the weekend, I discovered the website Vent!Vent! – Voice Your Complaint. I poked around the website and discovered that I’m not alone. Others have a need to ‘vent’ their complaints, opinions, and concerns. Ironically, the most vents are about various relationships from family to friends; from work to spouses; and everything in between. The bottom line is there’s a lot of venting going on!
Lately, I’ve been feeling the need to vent. Believe it or not, it’s good for the soul. You see, there’s a lot of things I’ve been holding inside of me that are coming up to the surface. Have you ever felt like this? I’ve done the ‘letter exercise’ where you write a letter to the person(s) who’ve caused you grief but it doesn’t help. I journal almost every day but that’s not really helping me either. I can feel and know I need to voice my thoughts and feelings. Keeping it bottled up inside isn’t working. Pretending that everything is ‘a-okay’ isn’t working either. It’s time for me to let it out!
Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do without
Come on, I’m talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do without
Tears for Fears
How do you feel when you keep your feelings and thoughts to yourself? How healthy is it? It’s not healthy. In fact, dis-ease could settle into your body. Here are some exercises you can do to release anything that’s irking you or has irked you for a long time:
- Scream at the top of your lungs.
- Scream at the top of a mountain.
- Ask a close confidant if you can vent. Make sure you reciprocate.
- Hold a Venting Party (in home or virtual) where you and your friends take one minute to five minutes to vent. Have a ‘potluck’ dinner, hire a manicurist/pedicurist, masseuse, Reiki practitioner, etc. Make it a girls night out!
Get everything out of your system; don’t hold back. You’ll feel better once your give voice to your thoughts and feelings. And, sometimes you need to set the record straight. Instead of stewing about your feelings, speak to the person who caused you grief. Make sure you use “I” statements and voice how you feel. For example, “I felt bad after you made fun of my hair color.” Beginning with a “you” statement will put the person on the defensive. For example, “You made me feel bad when you made fun of my new hair color.” Do you feel and see the difference? The person may or may not understand their actions. Be aware — you may not receive an apology. However, at least the person knows how you feel, and you’ll be able to move on.
What do you need to vent? Share.
Rebecca
Related articles
- Please help me find a way to vent/release my anger/stress. (ask.metafilter.com)
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