One common method of releasing stress is to vent.  While most people vent inappropriately, there are ways to vent without hurting your loved ones or causing yourself trouble at school or work.

First, let’s look at some unhealthy ways to vent:

  • Blowing up at coworkers, employees, or friends.
  • Yelling at your family.
  • Throwing or breaking things.
  • Hitting walls.
  • Kicking things.
  • Scratching yourself, hitting yourself, or pulling your hair.

These are all very destructive ways of venting.  If you don’t find contructive ways to vent, you might end up venting in one of these unhealthy ways.  These can actually make your stress worse.

Now let’s look at some healthy ways to vent:

  • Talk to a therapist.
  • Make posts on a blog or in a journal that no one but you will ever see.
  • Vent on forums where you have friends who will listen.
  • Cry.  If you’re embarrassed, cry in a bathroom or out in the woods.
  • Go into the middle of nowhere and scream at the top of your lungs.
  • Grab your boxing gloves and take it out on a punching bag.  Great exercise!
  • Go jogging.  Exercise relieves a lot of tension.

The important thing is making sure you vent in healthy ways rather than taking it out on the people around you.  If you take your frustrations out on the people you love, it could drive a rift between you that may never be mended.

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