If You're P*ssed Off, Create 'Angry Art' To Feel Calmer (It Works)

Release anger and frustration bouncing around your mind and body through creative expression - better out than in.

Photo by Alex Perez on Unsplash

I couldn’t believe the nerve of my sh*tty colleague. I was so furious, I wanted to punch a cushion just to release the anger.

Last year, I was stuck in a toxic work environment in my day job, drowning in a high-pressure project that left me crushed by the weight of it all.

By year-end, I was sick, exhausted and miserable. I didn't feel supported by people I should have been able to rely on. I'd also witnessed some of the worst corporate behaviour in my 25+ year career.

I thought I was losing my mind. I couldn't believe what people got away with, purely because they were ‘important’ to this project. Silly me for believing we all had merit. Some of us are always more important than others it seems.

Being a therapeutic Burnout Coach, I have a wealth of psychological and neuroscience-based tools at hand. Unfortunately, these weren't quite cutting it for me under this intense emotional frustration.

Over prolonged stress, I'd end up turning it inwards, driving unhealthy coping strategies like binge-purging, overwork or isolation.

However, since I knew creative expression offered useful opportunities for deeper exploration, whilst helping me release tension in my body, I leaned on this approach.

It's been a game-changer and helps me every time. Here’s how you can use it too

What can we learn from anger and frustration?

Anger has a PR problem. It’s either used improperly or we try to squash it and ignore it’s there. What if we gave it healthy space to be expressed and understand what it’s trying to tell us?

Sometimes we’re angry because we’ve got underlying biological needs not being met - ever heard of being ‘hangry’?

Hangry blends hungry and angry. Even my mum has dropped this one on me during a particularly stroppy discussion.

It’s true we get frustrated if we’re not properly nourished or dehydrated though. Dammit, she was right.

In other situations, our anger and frustration is legitimate, giving us valuable information about inappropriate behaviour, unmet expectations or perceived threats.

When our brains predict outcomes based on past experiences, and the outcome doesn’t happen - whether it’s a person not behaving as expected, or a situation not going to plan - frustration sets in.

Anger is more of a defensive response, kicking in when we feel a threat to our autonomy, values, or sense of control. It prepares us to take action via the stress response.

We get energised to do something, either to confront or change the situation.

How anger helps you discover your core values

In my coaching work, I help clients identify their core values so they take values-based action.

A core value is a deeply held belief or principle that guides our decisions, behaviours, and how we view the world.

These values shape our sense of identity and purpose.

When a core value is transgressed, for instance when something or someone violates or disrespects it, we might notice an emotional response like anger.

If you’re unsure about your core values, check what p*sses you off, and that’ll give you a clue.

Both anger and frustration are natural reactions but become problematic if they persist or aren’t managed successfully.

If you suppress them, it can lead to increased stress, anxiety and burnout.

A healthier outlet is a must.

Get specific when labelling your emotions for better action

Emotions are useful data to influence helpful action. Most of us aren’t taught how to interpret them beyond what our cultural or family norms tell us.

The more detailed we get with our emotional data - known as emotional granularity - the more stress resilient we become.

If we understand what’s really going on in the moment, we’ve got a better chance of effective action.

Picture writing a letter with a thick whiteboard marker versus a Uniball micro gel pen - you’ll get more specific with one over the other.

If you want blunt and vague communications, go all in with the whiteboard marker approach.

However, if you need to navigate complex interpersonal relationships with busy colleagues, clients or teams, a narrower, the more targeted Uniball approach is better.

Sometimes, a strongly worded legal letter is what’s called for. Other times, a quick call to work out what’s going on behind the scenes is vital to prevent wider escalations.

Recognise you always have a choice when responding to emotional data, particularly of the anger and frustration variety.

Angry? Let your body do the talking and release the pressure

When anger or frustration builds, the body's stress response kicks in, releasing adrenaline and cortisol to prepare for action (the ‘fight or flight’ response).

This shows up as muscle tension, a rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, or a surge of energy and agitation.

If this stress isn’t released or managed, it results in chronic tension, headaches, digestive issues, and other long-term problems. These physical symptoms are your body’s way of holding onto emotional tension and threat vigilance.

Releasing it is essential to prevent it from lingering and causing ongoing harm.

When I was angry and upset in my toxic work situations, I turned to art-based expression to release my frustration - both physically and emotionally.

I needed a healthier outlet to avoid venting to friends and risking my good relationships.

Here’s the pencil drawing I created after a particularly frustrating work exchange:

Angry Art To Express Anger About A Toxic Work Situation by Author (Sabrina Ahmed)

Channelling that emotional energy into something tangible allows the body to externally release the tension and stress building up. I felt so relieved and lighter after creating this image.

Creating angry or expressive art (Angry Art) mirrors the intensity of your emotions, giving them a safer outlet for release. Use a pen and your A4 notebook if you have nothing else - it’s enough in the moment.

Notice the movement in the pencil strokes, and the brighter oranges and reds representing my internal fiery frustration in my image. This wasn’t only at others, but at myself for not asserting boundaries better.

When you allow your body to physically process what it’s holding onto, the tension dissipates, calming your nervous system.

The repetitive or rhythmic movements in art-making gets you into a creative flow state, indicating the threat has passed.

This dials down the ‘fight or flight’ autonomic state, moving you to the calmer ‘rest and digest’ autonomic state - just what I needed in my sh*tty work environment.

I also expressed my frustration with poor senior management issues - something I hadn’t fully accepted because I liked my boss at a personal level.

This shows up in the bottom right-hand corner with the dark purple and black cross-hatch strokes. I was trying to ignore this internal conflict, but here it is, plain as day.

Even when we think we’re ignoring something, our brain and body store it somewhere, leading to background unease.

Summary benefits of creating Angry Art

Here are the main benefits of Angry Art:

1. Emotional release:

   1. You get to express and release pent-up emotions like anger and frustration in a safer way.

   2. This helps with emotional regulation and granularity as you can see what’s really going on inside.

2. Mindfulness creative flow:

   1. Engaging in any creative activity immerses you in flow state. This mindful mental pace quietens the outside noise and keeps you fully present in the now.

   2. You aren’t as distracted by racing, anxious thoughts and feel calmer.

3. Agency and control:

   1. When you channel what needs to be expressed from mind and body, you start to feel more in control. Things start to make sense.

   2. You feel less helpless whilst feeling your emotions. Instead, you realise curiosity gives you valuable data to take informed action.

4. Building resilience:

   1. Use Angry Art as a tool within a broader stress management strategy. This develops your emotional fitness, so you’re quicker and smarter at recognising your emotions and how to deal with them.

   2. Overall, you reduce your reactivity in the heat of the moment. You might feel angry and frustrated, but in a wider context, know you can process it later.

Key takeaways

Deepening your ability to label and specify emotions is vital for healthy stress resilience and wellbeing.

By getting into your body, you’re not just addressing the physical symptoms of anger or frustration-related stress, but also enabling emotional release.

Art and creative movement provide indirect pathways to calming your nervous system, allowing you to process underlying emotions rather than letting them build up.

Whether it's scribbling on paper in a furious burst or painting bold strokes across a canvas, creative expression and Angry Art uses those emotions to create something physical and external.

This approach not only helps you release tension, but also make sense of what you’re feeling. This is necessary to cope in a high-pressure or toxic environment.

Creativity clarifies what words can’t fully capture, while physically freeing your body from the impact and burden of stress.

It’s priceless to make sense of difficult situations, building your stress resilience for the future.

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By the way…

If you’re ready to dive deeper, the Angry Art Deep-Dive Masterclass is happening on Monday 28 October at 9pm-10pm GMT (convert to local time).

This Monthly Deep-Dive Masterclass is available for paid subscribers, along with the recording (Zoom registration details in paid chat and will be emailed to paid subscribers).

If you’re not a paid subscriber yet, now’s the perfect time to step up. Join us, and you’ll get access to this Masterclass and a steady stream of cutting-edge burnout recovery, stress resilience and leadership goal-achievement strategies every week.

So why not upgrade to be a paid subscriber now?