Anger is an emotion that we all feel sometimes. It’s normal and healthy to feel angry when we have certain experiences. Sometimes, young people can feel angry a lot and they don’t know why. If managing your anger becomes a problem, and gets in the way of learning or relationships with others, you might benefit from coming to see us for help.
“When I feel I am starting to get angry, I remind myself that what is being said to me is ‘probably just a joke’, ‘calm down’ and ‘ignore them’. I walk away and sometimes listen to music which helps calm me down.” - Anon
Here are some tips and coping techniques you can try when you start feeling angry.
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try to recognise when you start to feel angry so you can take steps to calm down as early as possible
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give yourself time to think before reacting – try counting to 10 and doing calming breathing exercises
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talk to people about what's making you angry – speak to someone who is not connected to the situation, such as a friend, a GP or a support group such as Samaritans
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exercise – activities such as running, walking, swimming and yoga can help you relax and reduce stress
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find out how to raise your self-esteem, including how to be more assertive
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consider peer support, where people use their experiences to help others. Find out more about peer support on the Mind website
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listen to free mental wellbeing audio guides
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search and download relaxation and mindfulness apps or online community apps from the NHS apps library
- NHS Choices - controlling anger
- Young Minds gives free, relevant, practical information about a range of mental health issues in children and young people. It has information about feelings and symptoms, conditions and looking after yourself. It also has some specific information about self-harm and what to do about self-harm.
- Minded is a free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for adults, but can also be really useful for teenagers. It covers lot of topics.
- Relate gives specific advice for different types of worries and problems aimed at young people.
This information is from the CNWL CAMHS website