Everyone gets angry at times, some more often than others. As a good-natured Taurus, I am not easily irritated. It takes a lot to trigger me and only a handful of people really can. But today is one of those days. Today I am angry. 

Like most people, I don't particularly like the state of being angry. It wears out my nerves, makes me restless and increases my heart rate. So what to do with the anger? Getting rid of it as quickly as possible is the worst possible solution, as this usually leads to verbal fighting or a building of aggression and escalation.

But what actually is anger? Anger is a physical and psychological reaction to a perceived "attack" on one's integrity. The body reacts by releasing adrenaline and gets ready for the counterstrike. The adrenaline wants to get out of the system, as this "state of emergency" costs the body a lot of energy. Anger is, of course, also an emotion and one of the seven deadly sins, if acted out blindly. 

But on the flipside, it is also "divine emotion" if we direct its power into positive channels and use it constructively. Most often the first reaction to anger is the "blind" reaction, whether it be verbally or even physically - venting our anger with an emotional outburst by screaming or shouting. 

If you have the room to yourself, this can be quite  liberating, but if directed at another person, it can cause a lot of damage - the anger has evaporated and the other person is "on the ground". What usually follows are feelings of guilt. They in return set a cycle in motion from which it is difficult to get out of. So it's better to not start it in the first place, but to utilize the anger instead. 

Anger, like any "negative" emotion, directs our attention to underlying issues that want to be looked at. What triggered the anger? Who did? Why am I angry? The more clearly I can formulate this, the clearer it becomes whether I can change something about this state, for example through clarification or an adjustment in behaviour that changes the trigger. But that is only the second step. The first step is dealing with the anger. I'm talking about real anger here, not about being annoyed. This burning feeling inside that wants to go "somewhere", that wants to be expressed. For me, this wanting to be expressed is also a strong indication of the quality of this feeling. It is pure fire and, like the element itself, it can be used for destruction or creation.

As my first step I accept the anger. I welcome it. I feel it. I observe, how it rises inside me - from the bottom upwards. Then I let it fill my heart - my entire chest. It feels like blowing into a fire to make it blaze even stronger. When the feeling becomes almost unbearable, I release the anger and channel it into action. All things creative work really well, unless they require too much fine motor skills. Things like writing, cleaning, digging or painting a wall or even the whole house (depending on how big your anger is) are also suitable. If all of this is not enough, you can continue or reduce the remaining anger through physical exertion. Running, shadow boxing, drumming, dancing - all of these are creative ways of dealing with anger. Afterwards, the mind is wonderfully clear and it then allows a more neutral view of the whole situation.

At this point you oftentimes no longer understand why you got angry in the first place. But today is different. I see today's anger as a sign that I want to creatively change a situation that has existed for too long. Anger is often linked to or triggered by a feeling of helplessness. In that moment, it is a reaction to the feeling of being unable to change something about a situation. And this might be the case in some situations. However, I believe that bringing about change, no matter how small, is one of our greatest superpowers as human beings. Because it always starts within ourselves. And anger is a powerful partner when used wisely.