When we are feeling upset or angry, there is often a temptation to bring others into our distress—either by yelling at the person who caused the problem, or by complaining to the first person we can find, text, or call who might offer sympathy over our misfortune. Each time we do this, we are doing the same thing as the participants who vented their anger by hitting a punching bag—we’re maintaining our anger by reliving it over and over. It’s not that we should never share our problems with others, but we have to be careful about the manner in which we do that.
