Fire in my belly
Anger, the gut, and what we hold inside
Anger is one of the most misunderstood emotions. Many of us have learned to suppress it, to keep the peace or avoid conflict.
But when anger has nowhere to go, it doesn’t disappear. It often settles into the body – particularly the belly – and can quietly shape how we feel, relate and function day to day.
Keeping the peace
Many of us carry a quiet tension inside us. Growing up we often learnt that anger is dangerous or shameful. We may have been punished for expressing it, or we may have seen anger expressed in ways that felt unsafe.
We may then become skilled at smoothing things over, staying agreeable, or putting others first. Sometimes when we try to keep the peace externally, we create a kind of inner war. Over time we may notice:
- an undercurrent of irritability that seems out of proportion to the moment
- difficulty expressing our truth
- walking on eggshells in relationships
- difficulty setting boundaries or standing up for what matters to us.
- a sense of losing connection with ourselves
- a build up of resentment.
When we bury anger, we often disconnect from other feelings too – joy, passion, creativity, aliveness.
Anger held in our body
If anger has felt unsafe in our past, it is natural to try to avoid it and push it down. But it does not disappear. It makes a home somewhere in our body, causing tightening, a clenched jaw, a knotted stomach and a nervous system never quite settled. Sometimes suppressed anger becomes what we might call frozen rage.
Anger in the belly
Anger frequently shows up in the digestive system. Our belly is so closely linked to our nervous system, it often becomes a place where emotions settle and stay held.
Many people describe experiencing anger as a heat, tightness or churning in the stomach or intestines, like a slow-burning fire in the belly. It can cause digestion to slow down, speed up or fluctuate – and our nervous system becomes activated. Over time the tissues of our abdomen can become tight or guarded and our breath becomes shallow, increasing anxiety.
Anger as our life force
Letting anger move
One of the reasons anger becomes overwhelming is that we are rarely taught how to move it safely. We may suppress it completely, express it explosively, or a combination of the two. But there is another possibility.
Anger is simply energy in the body. When it is allowed to move through the body safely, it often transforms. Release might look like:
- shaking or stamping the feet
- hitting a cushion or pillow
- making sounds
- moving the body vigorously
These practices can feel unfamiliar, yet they mirror the natural ways the body discharges intense emotion. This is not about harming anyone. It is about allowing the body to release energy that has been held for years. When anger is given safe expression, something often shifts. The body softens. The nervous system settles. The fire begins to dissipate. When anger is met with awareness and held within a safe container, it can become a constructive doorway into deeper understanding of ourselves.
Working with anger in the body
When anger and other strong emotions have been held in the body for a long time, it can be difficult to shift them through insight alone. The body itself often needs to be included in the process.
In my work at Rooted Wellbeing, anger is very welcome. I offer somatic bodywork that helps the nervous system settle and the body release long-held tension. This includes abdominal therapy that focuses specifically on the belly and digestive system.
It can be deeply supportive to explore what the body is holding within a safe, calm and non-judgemental space where someone else is helping to regulate the nervous system and gently work with the body’s patterns of tension.
If this resonates, you may wish to explore...
Somatic Bodywork – supportive bodywork that helps regulate the nervous system and release physical patterns of stress.
Abdominal Therapy – focused work with the belly that supports digestion, emotional release and reconnection with the body.
These sessions create a calm, supportive space where the body and belly can soften and where emotions that have been held beneath the surface, perhaps for years, can begin to move safely and integrate.