Could a Rage Room Become Part of Your Self-Care Routine?

You can never have too many coping mechanisms. There are seemingly unlimited potential stressors out there, so why shouldn’t you be prepared with seemingly unlimited tools for combating them? No two people are alike and no two situations are ever the same—so every individual needs their own approach to self-care. For some, self-care might mean a meditation session. Others might use exercise or creative expression to expend their frustration or worry. Self-care can even be as simple as going on a run or having a long talk with a good friend. 

In some cases, though, self-care is rage. More specifically, a rage room. 

Don’t be afraid of the rage! A rage room can be a surprisingly great tool for getting centered and improving your overall mindset. In fact, it might just be your new best friend next time you’re looking for an emotional release. 

Keep scrolling to learn more about rage rooms and the role they have to play in your self-care regimen. 

First thing’s first: what is a rage room, anyway? Plain and simple, it’s a space where people are allowed—even encouraged!—to be angry. You may also have heard them described as “smash rooms.” 

A rage room isn’t just something you can have in your home—at least not easily. People who enjoy and find an emotional release in rage rooms will usually rent one for a fixed period of time. Thanks to their growing popularity in recent years, they’re available in more and more locations. 

The purpose of a rage room is to create a safe, controlled space where people can take out their aggression, stress, frustration, and, well, rage in a way that’s not appropriate elsewhere. If you find that your anger and negativity tend to manifest themselves as aggression that overflows into other areas of your life, a rage room might be just the thing to incorporate into your self-care routine. 

Every rage room will be a little different, but picture this: You’ll walk into a bare-bones, potentially industrial space. While there won’t be any typical furnishings there, it will be equipped with everything you need to break things. 

Here are a few items that are commonly stocked and ready to wreck:

Rage room participants are given protective gear—including goggles, a helmet, and a safety suit—as well as a baseball bat. From there, they’re set loose in the space to take out their rage on the items in the room. 

While rage rooms will always have a handful of rules, you’ll more or less be invited to go wild with that bat! Use it to smash, wreck, break, and generally destroy anything and everything in sight. While you’re at it, scream as loud as you’d like. 

The cool thing about a rage room is that it offers permission to behave in a way that usually isn’t allowed. In your real life, it’s never okay to take a baseball bat to breakable stuff in the name of emotional release. But let’s be honest: It sounds pretty tempting sometimes. 

Plus, releasing your anger and stress can be good for you. Here’s why, according to Healthline: 

Together, these benefits have the potential to improve your mental health, especially if you’re stuck in a particularly difficult time. Plus, it’s totally different from any other form of self-care—and variety is the spice of life. 

Rage rooms aren’t the perfect solution to your stress. Like everything, they have their drawbacks as well. Here are some potential cons and risks:

As long as you’re aware of these drawbacks, you can be more aware of your experience and ensure that it’s a positive one. 

There are, of course, other forms of self-care and emotional release that can serve as alternatives to a session. Multiple self-care activities can also supplement each other to give you a well-rounded regimen. 

If part of the appeal of a rage room as an emotional release is its physicality, you might opt for an intense workout. Per the Mayo Clinic, exercise has been proven to improve mental health, which makes it an excellent form of self-care. Hit the yoga mat, enjoy some fresh air on a run, take a spin class, or—if you still want to let go of some rage—try boxing! 

Meditation is a grounding mindfulness practice that is also known for releasing negativity and helping people get centered. It’s much quieter and calmer than going to a rage room, but it’s been known to achieve similar mood-boosting results.  

Practicing creativity has also been known to relieve stress and anger. Just like when you’re in a rage room, you’re doing something with your hands. Plus, it gets you into a quiet, meditative state. 

Now that you know there’s a safe, controlled place for you to let out your anger, you might be less likely to lose your temper in other situations. Next time you’re feeling stressed and edgy, find a rage room in your area and give it a shot. It might even become a permanent part of your self-care routine.