The Year of the Hummingbird Series: April

Sabriya Charles, Founder, and Life Discovery Expert

“What am I going to rage at? What can I get angry about?” 

I found myself asking this question multiple times before gearing up for my rage room experience, for the first time ever! Too bad the problem was that I did not have anything I felt raging about at the moment. Either way, I waited eagerly in the lobby small talking with the kind staff as a waited for my colleague, Hannah to arrive. While I know this Year of the Hummingbird season is supposed to be solo, I knew she did not want to miss out on this unique adventure. 

After initial welcomes, we found ourselves in a small transition room where we geared up in oversized jumpsuits, gloves, and helmets with face shields, making us feel like we were welders or something. The staff members cited a series of rules that we hoped we could remember as our minds were buzzing with curiosity and excitement. He told us we could play our own music which seemed even cooler. In my head, I was thinking: “Oh, this thing is really immersive!” Then, I quickly got anxious, trying to think of the best “rage song to play.” 

We were placed in our room with glasses, boards, tv screens, bowls, and all things that shatter and it was time to get started. I looked around nervously because never in my life was it okay to just well…. break stuff quite frankly! Hannah and I settled on SZA’s Kill Bill though we both reside in happy relationships and relate nothing to the song. Haha, SZA just has the emotional effect on you, and she serves up the perfect deep-riding rage type of music. 

Music blasting, random metal rods in our hands, we were OFF! Now, Hannah had her rage focus: The unfortunate actions of the government and other bad things happening in the world. My mind sadly went blank, but it did not mean I did not enjoy the moment. I was breaking stuff for the sake of breaking stuff, which was freeing. It was so fast that the glasses were shattered within minutes and the rage was coming to a close. We attempted to burst more glasses on the floor, but tiny pieces of shatter were not breaking much further. 

My only fear was somehow getting cut by the glass through my gloves or jumpsuit but fortunately, I did not! Thankfully, Hannah and I did not miss and knock each other out either which was another thing to consider. 

While it was over before I knew it, it was something that was simply a perfect escape from the typical coping skills in life. Whether you were like me, enjoying the release of breaking things or Hannah raging about the aspects of life that are broken, this experience reminded me that coping in different ways can be so healthy for us. I feel like I released anger before even getting a chance to cognitively realize I had it. You might find a release in something that you never expected! 

So lesson learned: Rage does not have to just be deep breathing or screaming, it can be breaking stuff too…in a protected space set up just for your rage! 

Thank you to Rage Room of Orlando, Florida for the fun and releasing experience!