Oh, cut yourself some slack. Who hasn't wanted to smash car windshields and the like.

We were dealt a raw deal here but we are the ones that have to play it so to speak. It's not fair, and well, I think we have every right to be angry, to grieve and just sometimes feel like crap.

Anger is a sticky wicket though because, like fear it is such a motivating emotion. For me, anger really spurs a reaction that is really hard to wrangle down into something manageable.

However, although the police may vehemently disagree , I would contend that it would be preferable to smash a windshield than burn yourself.

I think the burning may be about giving the anger a focus, a name, manifesting emptional pain as physical pain. Not a distraction exactly, but a harmful coping technique that, temporarily, releases your mind and puts the focus on your body.

You know what they say... the best way to get rid of a headache is to break a finger. In reality though, you're just moving the pain around.

You know, people have told me that "you need to channel your anger into something productive". Well, I've never been able to do that.

When I'm pissed off, somehow crafting, exercising or meditation has just never been able to cut through it. I end up mad and tired, or frustrated with glue guns, yoga mats and free weights strewn randomly about.

I end up taking a klonopin. Nope, probably not the most popular option around here, but it works for me and reduces that fevered pitch that spurs that often harmful release.