Navigating Anger: How to Harness Its Energy Without Getting Stuck

I’ve lived in that place of deep grief and depression for a long time—the heavy kind. The kind where you’re not even sad anymore, just… flat. Empty. You don’t feel hope or even fear. Just stuck.

And then, out of nowhere, anger showed up.

Not graceful or tidy. More like kicking a hungry, hibernating bear—10/10, do not recommend. 🫢

It was messy, reactive, and unfiltered.

But it was also energy.

For the first time in a long time, I felt movement. I was waking up.

It didn’t feel like healing, not at first. In fact, the way it went down for me was downright destructive.

I just didn't know better.

But looking back, I see it for what it was: the beginning of forward motion. Feels starting to break through where there had only been numbness and darkness.

Anger Isn’t the End of the Road—It’s a Sign You’re Moving

When we think of anger, it’s easy to feel ashamed or afraid. We’re told it’s destructive, dangerous, something to avoid. But what if anger is actually a step forward?

In Dr. David Hawkins’ Map of Consciousness, emotions are laid out like a ladder:

• Shame
• Guilt
• Apathy
• Grief
• Fear
• Desire
• Anger
• Pride
• Courage

Anger sits above despair. It may feel turbulent—maybe even ugly—but it’s a kind of progress. It means you're no longer numb. You care again. You’re awake.

Anger: The Energy That Moves

Anger gets things moving. It brings focus and momentum to what was once fog. It starts drawing lines in the sand—marking what you can no longer tolerate. That clarity? It can be the first spark of transformation.

But like a toddler learning to potty train, anger in untrained hands can be… well, gross. It’s like smearing poop on the walls and your loved ones—uncoordinated, a bit chaotic, and definitely not what anyone wants to deal with. 💩

Still, it’s part of learning. Of waking up. Of getting free.

Anger is not a destination—it’s a threshold to higher states of being.

Don’t Skip It. Don’t Camp There.

In spiritual circles, there’s a tendency to skip over the hard stuff. “Let it go,” we say. “Just forgive. Just love.”

But if we leapfrog anger in the name of positivity, we end up bypassing real healing.

Anger needs to be felt. Processed. Released.

Sit with it. Let it speak. Let it show you what matters. Then, with grace—and maybe some guidance—let it go.

From Rapids to Still Waters

Think of a river: whitewater rushing over rocks, wild and loud. That’s what anger feels like. But downstream? The river widens. It slows. It deepens.

That’s the path. Your journey might start in the rapids, but that’s not where you’re meant to stay.

With intention and time, anger gives way to courage… and eventually, compassion.

Communion, Not Just Clarity

In the Christian life, the goal isn’t just emotional regulation. It’s communion.

Not just peace of mind, but peace in Christ.

Sitting with anger doesn’t mean stewing in it—it means giving it room to breathe.

To be seen. To be heard.

Sometimes all you can do is release a tiny piece at a time, like steam from a pressure valve. And that’s okay.

What matters is that you don’t label it as “bad” or try to suppress it in the name of being spiritual or "healthy.”

That’s not holiness—that’s hijacking.

Real transformation begins when we stop resisting what’s true in us and start offering it to God in its raw, unfinished form.

Letting go might not happen all at once. But even the act of not resisting is a kind of surrender.

Transformation isn’t about suppressing emotion—it’s about transfiguring it. Moving from ego-protection to self-offering. From reaction to relationship.

And then comes the stillness—a posture of release.

A deep internal space where you’re no longer trying to fix or fight, just be.

And if the mess is too much to handle alone? That’s what pastors/priests and therapists are for. Don’t try to process your emotional sewage solo—sometimes you need help taking your metaphorical poop to the professionals.

We don’t just let go of anger for our own peace—we surrender it so we can become more whole, more alive, more present to God and one another.

That’s the movement:
From isolation to connection.
From striving to stillness.
From anger… to love.

Final Thought

Anger isn’t failure. It’s not regression. It might just be a doorway—a rough but holy beginning.

Walk through—but don’t stop there.

Something deeper, quieter, and more eternal is waiting just on the other side.