To betch or not to betch, that is the question.
Every girl who is fighting with her boyfriend or who has to watch some girl walk away with the guy she has been scoping out all night can only be made better by betching it out. But is that really the healthiest thing to do, or are you just making yourself feel worse? This is a topic psychologists have delved into, trying to decide whether letting everything out is really the best option.
In one Indiana University study, they took a group of people who were feeling a little peeved and allowed one group to sit quietly in a room while the other group was allowed to punch on a punching bag. What they found was that in the short term those people who were allowed to hit the punching bag were more likely to lash out later at people around them than those people who sat quietly.
However, they also found that in the long term venting can be helpful. The key is to be aware of the fact that you are venting. When you vent for the purpose of venting and finding catharsis from it, it can allow you to find relief in the long run after you have come off the aggressive rush.
Granted, betching it out with your friends isn’t the same as punching a punching bag, but the point is the release of aggression rather than the activity. It can be anything that you do for the purpose of releasing those inner demons. So here are some suggestions to help you betch it out.
-Take a kickboxing class
-Practice yoga
-Have a movie and wine night
-Go shopping with the girls
-Work those muscles! Take an extreme trip to the gym
-Watch something funny (Here’s a good start: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1974961,…)
-Go on a run
-Listen to your favorite music …. LOUD
-Write all of your feelings down…and then dispose of it properly
-Buy a dartboard
-Have a good ole-fashioned betch it out session with your girlfriends
Everyone has to find her own way to let it all out and sometimes trying something new can be the best way to deal!
So what is the point to take away from all of this? Betching can be a positive thing if you realize you are “betching it out.” However, remember to allow yourself some downtime to come off your betching high for the sake of all those around you, please.
In addition to the catharsis betching can bring, it has had a long journey transforming from the derogatory term our parents would gasp at into something of a pop culture phenomenon.
There is even an entire website dedicated to betches and their problems (http://betcheslovethis.com). Granted most people look to it for some comic relief, but there is also a certain camaraderie that comes from letting someone else betch it out for you.
So laugh it out, work it out or betch it out. Just get it out!
Sources:
http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/to-vent-or-not-to-vent/
Betches love this (photo): thedailytruffle.com; http://www.thedailytruffle.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/betches-love-this-site.png
Yoga pose (photo): jaipals.com; http://jaipals.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Yoga4.jpg
Kickboxing (photo): health.ninemsn.com.au; http://health.ninemsn.com.au/img/slideshow/getmotivatedthiswinter/kickboxing.jpg