Today’s everyday challenges are different compared to the mountain man’s one. We are more controlled, physically less active and mentally more overloaded. Nowadays, some extra “applications” to reduce our stress level are essential to survive in a human way. Do you sometimes need to let off the steam? Are you fed up with your boss, with the other gender and with the world at all? Do you feel the need of a profound cool down because the inability to solve some difficulties makes you burst out? There are more options to combat the inside tension. We have chosen two of them and put them under the magnifier: Rage and escape room. Which one do you prefer?
The empire of legal demolition and devastation. Finally, a space where you can diminish the inside tension without control of the civilised society. Back to the basics: solve the problem with physical power without thinking! For a few bucks, you can smash everything around you in a special room in a PPE without consequences. You don’t need any companions, only a tool to destroy!
The idea of a rage room has rooted from the theory that the ventilation of anger could bring about the reduction of itself. Firstly, it sounds logical, however, examining it more deeply, we have to admit that this way of thinking is controversial.
From one point of view, the above mentioned way of thinking could work: we have unnecessary, frustrating energies that we convert into physical energies cooling us down. However, in this case, an extra product is created through the physical power: the devastation which could generate unwanted, negative satisfaction; bringing about good feelings for us through the destruction of something nice. This experience could raise the likelihood of repeating this way of problem solving.
A wide range of studies have been carried out to examine distinct anger management. According to the results, it is said:
● That people, who were let to vent their fury after being frustrated, become more likely to apply this aggressive method for problem solving next time, even in the real world.
● Finding our inner peace through the violation of something innocent indicates the necessity of demolition again and again.
● Subjects, who had been let to destroy something after being pissed-off, experienced no decrease but an increase in their anger level after the destruction. Moreover, some of them have reported that they could pose their aggression even against real people.
On the other hand:
● Smashing everything in a protected space in a PPE legally, sounds funny and a special one-time activity.
● It might work: letting off the steam in a rage room instead of masking your feelings and causing harm indirectly to others through our suppressed aggression. The best solution would be to learn how to manage your pent-up emotions but until that time, a rage room could offer a solution.
● Breaking together with your friends or your partner could become a common memory. However, playing in an escape game might offer a more valuable experience.
Almost the inverse of the above one, however, with some similarities. For this game, you need a room and a little money as well. Nevertheless, instead of a hammer, your helping hands are going to be some friends of yours. Sorry to say but here you have to use your grey matter, creativity and mental problem solving skills. Does it sound boring compared to the rage room?
It might be, anyway, please take it into consideration that in a rage room you are monotonously destroying some precious things, however, in an escape room, you are meeting with various challenges creating something valuable (cohaesio, the plan of escape,...) during the same time.
In an escape room:
● You can transform your fury energies into mental power to sort out the puzzle.
● You can face new difficulties which might make your original problems smaller.
● The team power and the feeling of belonging to a group could minimize your frustration caused by the inability to handle some of your headaches.
Beside handling wrath, an escape game can
● Let you learn yourself.
● Reveal your hidden talents and skills.
● Help you to face your fears.
The necessity of tension diminishing is essential, without doubt. The way how to carry it out is a key factor. The pure aim of rage room is to tackle the frustration inside. At the same time, the goal of an escape room is more complex. According to researchers, there are some more methods to do so:
● Take a great breath! And count until whatever You want. The point of this method is to reset your way of thinking. It’s known that acting motivated by fury, often generates more harm than benefit. So count before you act!
● Take some more, long breaths and a seat! Maybe you had never tried before, it’s time to taste it: Meditation! It might sound weird when you are hot-tempered, however, believe that sometimes the silence is louder than the noise! Behaving violently is an instinctual answer to something troublesome. Although, meditation requires an elevated level of intellect.
● Problem solving. In the state of being indignant, you are concentrating on an annoying object; you might ignite yourself. Let’s try to switch your focus! Concentrate on the solution of another difficulty (like in an escape game) to explore and experience that your actual “anger energies” could be used in a more sensible way.
● Have a cold shower. Do you often feel when you are pissed-off that your blood pressure is about 180 Hgmm, your head is really hot and red, furthermore your heart is beating like Speedy Gonzales is running? To tell the truth, being resentful has some somatic consequences. This means that through the mitigation of them, we might reduce our madness! So get under the chilly shower to diminish the temperature and parallelly to relax our circulatory system. This cool down is a sign to our nerve system that it’s time to change: there is another problem to focus on!
● Go to the gym. In case, when mental and spiritual methods seem to be useless, still you have chances! Let’s do some physical exercises: run on the pitch or in the nearby park, lift some weights, do 500 push-ups, climb a tree, ride your bike (not a motorbike and don’t drive any car!). The physical activity which is not coupled with devastation, could work as a lightning rod and convert your aggressive energies into physical power without causing any demolition. Energy never lost but converted!
Until that time, we are made up from human DNA-sequences, frustration, stress, anger, aggression are going to be the part of our life and relationships. The solution is not to avoid them at any cost, but to handle them in the most effective way. Whether you do it in a rage or in an escape room, maybe in a gym or under an icy shower, it’s up to you. The meaning of all methods is the long term functionality without hurting anybody.