I often joke that when I’m stressed, I need a doghouse to smash.
A friend of mine had an old, abandoned doghouse in her yard and decided one day it was time to get rid of the unsightly thing. With her trusty sledgehammer at her side, she took it apart. When she was done, she told me how great it felt to smash the thing.
There’s something very cathartic about physical exercise… and destruction. After a particularly bad breakup a few years ago, some friends invited me to help remodel their kitchen. I had a grand old time prying tiles off the walls and tearing down ugly old wallpaper… and I felt a lot better when it was done. Today I burned off some frustration by assembling some Gorilla Shelves — they’re made without nails or screws. You just hammer the pieces into place.
Let me tell you that I had some serious fun swinging that hammer.
I’m not the only one who gets some stress relief from making a mess of things. There’s a spot in Tokyo called the Venting Place where for as little as 200 yen (around $2) you can burn off some frustration by smashing china.
The idea came from a group of chiropractors who wanted to offer stressed professionals a new way to relieve anger and tension. Customers put on protective gear and then pick cups, plates, and more to smash against concrete walls. Participants told Reuters that it was refreshing to scream and throw things around the truck. Yes, the Venting Place is mobile!
The shards of past stress-relievers are recycled into new pieces, so there’s very little waste. And breaking plates and teacups made for smashing is better than losing your temper and breaking something really valuable.
I’m kind of tempted to get a box truck of my own and start a mobile smashing business. If nothing else, it’d be tons of fun!