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.
Tips to help when you feel angry
Here are some tips and coping techniques you can try when you start feeling angry.
- try to recognise when you start to feel angry so you can take steps to calm down as early as possible
- give yourself time to think before reacting – try counting to 10 and doing calming breathing exercises
- 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
- exercise – activities such as running, walking, swimming and yoga can help you relax and reduce stress
- find out how to raise your self-esteem, including how to be more assertive
- consider peer support, where people use their experiences to help others. Find out more about peer support on the Mind website
- listen to free mental wellbeing audio guides
- search and download relaxation and mindfulness apps or online community apps from the NHS apps library
Parents and Carers – what you can do
- 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.
“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