on anger 1.15.21

 Dear Students, 

Here we are, sandwiched between the storming of the Capitol and Inauguration Day, beset by news of the rocky vaccine rollout and continued rising Covid cases. Some of you are knee-deep in your J term class, scrambling to write papers and study for exams. Just about everything in our world, from large-scale political unrest, racial injustice, and widespread disease down to small-scale worries about staying connected to school, work, friends and family and what next week will bring can feel absolutely relentless. It doesn't slow down; it doesn't stop.

It's normal to struggle right now. It's normal to have a hard time getting out of bed, to be less productive than usual, to really need a hug. It's normal to feel scared about the future. It's normal to worry about what it will be like to return to campus. 

It's also normal if you feel angry. 

Anger is an emotion that alerts us to injustice, urging us to take action when something isn't right. Anger can be adaptive, supportive, and help us to see the truth about the problems in our world. It makes sense to feel angry that you didn't get to go abroad, or that you've been missing out on the social life you always imagined college would offer.

Sometimes we feel angry and we don't even know why. We can feel stuck in our anger. You probably know people whose anger is exhausting to be around. Angerexpressed on social media seems bottomless. You may wonder about the anger of those who stormed the Capitol last week. What is going on with everyone?

It may help to know that anger can also be a powerful defense. It protects us from fear and pain. It can be a lot easier to rage at others on the surface than to feel the deep sadness threatening to overwhelm us deep inside. 

If you notice that you are feeling stuck in your anger, try this exercise: set down your phone. Put a hand on your heart, or another comforting place on your body. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, then another, then maybe one more. Turn your attention inward, and notice what is happening with compassion and kindness. Whatever you are feeling is okay. You don't have to change it, or do anything else. When you're ready, open your eyes.

That's it! 

The whole thing might take you a minute. Every time you practice this gentle pause in your day, you make more space for all your feelings. Anger included.

Warmly, 

Lauren, Susan, Katharina, Meagan, Alexis, Kelly, and Gene