Whether you’re in a fight with your partner, frustrated about something that happened at work, or just peeved about the day’s events, it can be tempting to bottle up those feelings and go to bed angry. However, while going to sleep and approaching your issues with a clear head in the morning might be a good idea in the long run, staying up all night marinating in your own rage until the sun comes up will offer you the instant gratification your unchecked anger demands. So here’s how you can avoid going to bed in a bad mood by staying up all night stewing in your own indignation.
Communicate your feelings.
The best way to avoid going to bed angry is to vent your frustrations until the sun comes up, instead of pushing them to the side overnight while you sleep. If you have no one around to vent your frustrations to, then vent them with yourself, all night, in a toxic rage spiral that will bring you to tears at least three times and cause you to relentlessly stalk the Instagram pages of everyone who has ever wronged you. You’ll find out that Alyssa from college is doing great, actually – but it’s better than going to bed annoyed!
Take a short walk.
Getting outside and walking off your anger can be a healthy way to work through your feelings. If one walk doesn’t do the trick, try taking another, then another, stewing over everything you’re angry about in a toxic cycle of cyclical thinking that only gets worse with each block of pavement pounded. After three rage-walks, it should be clear that your partner was in the wrong for eating the last ice cream sandwich, and you’ll be so energized from the exercise and ruminating over the dessert you didn’t get to have, you won’t be able to fall asleep even if you tried! Perfect!
Write down what is bothering you.
Putting your feelings on paper is great for clearing your mind. Plus, once you have everything written down, you can use those notes as kindling to fuel your rage. Just reread lines whenever you feel yourself dozing off – you’ll be up all night thinking about how your partner didn’t do the dishes even though they said they would, all while they’re sleeping peacefully beside you. What a great way to emotionally self-regulate!
That’s it! Three simple tips to keep you from going to bed angry and instead stay up all night simmering in a deep-seated fury that will surely be at a boiling point come morning. At that point, you’ll be primed and ready to attack whatever issues you’re having with a rage-clouded mind running on zero hours of sleep and a little black book of people you want to confront. Godspeed!
