For most of my life I was taught to suppress my anger and rage. I wasn’t shown healthy ways to process this emotion I felt, and was often told it was unwelcome and harmful.
I can understand why, in our household when rage was present, it was explosive. The volatility of the anger in our home left all of us on edge at times, and suspect of this emotion we would all feel. The domino of suppressed emotions after the harmful outbursts separated us from one another.
As I got older, I realized that my rage was actually a guide towards what I most cared about, and a barometer for what I was willing to tolerate. When I learned to embrace my rage and learned how to express it in useful ways -- in my work and activism, or in a healthy, empathetic conversation where it could be named and not weaponized -- rage because a tool for my greatest expression.
In today’s episode of the show, part three of our The Next Right Step series where we are giving you an intimate look into the conversations we shared with our guest experts of our program last summer, we are sharing my conversation with Valarie Kaur, civil rights lawyer and activist, woman warrior, and leader of the Revolutionary Love Project.
In this episode, we learn about finding strength and guidance from your ancestors and how to honor your identity even when you are feeling othered. We also explore the differences between empathy and feeling; between forgiveness and reconciliation; and between love and rage.
This conversation was a truly impactful and transformative one, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.
Unpacking and honouring our identities are a key part of The Next Right Step and the framework I teach, The Roots of Resilience. Next week, I’ll be sharing more with you about our free upcoming workshops where you can learn more about how to embrace and use your identity to create the impact you dream to make through your work, and in your everyday life.
In the meantime, here are this week’s journal prompts for you to dive into as you navigate your relationship with your rage.
If you love this episode or if the show has made an impact on your life, it would mean the world if you left a review on Apple Podcasts.
Once you do, DM me on Instagram with a screenshot and I’ll send you our Wheel of Life worksheet that you can use to check in with yourself weekly, and continue to make weekly progress towards your dreams and goals.
Until next time,
-Komal