Anger

 

Anger can arise in various situations, especially if we feel threatened, deceived or vulnerable and it can be expressed as outbursts to periods of withdrawal. Anger can be seen as a “negative” emotion, but it can be helpful in identifying problems and motivating change.

Anger can become a problem when we cannot control our emotions and it leads to behaviour that can be harmful to ourselves and others. Anger can create further problems because of the hurt it has caused, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and low mood.

Effective anger management is twofold: how we deal with our own anger and how we react to anger from someone else.

 

Anger in others;

-          Ask yourself, what is triggering their anger? By understanding others anger, you can learn how to articulate your own anger and your response to theirs.

-          Is their anger an appropriate and proportional response? Have you done something to trigger this, or are they taking their anger out on you? If their anger is not appropriate, you do not have to absorb it. You can set a boundary and articulate how it makes you feel.

 

Anger in yourself;

  • Understand your triggers and what can make you feel angry. This can make us more aware of when it could occur and allow us to react in a different way.
  • Count to 10 and take a “time out” from the situation if you can. Deep breathing can help relieve the tension anger brings.  
  • Ask yourself, “why am I feeling angry here and now?” to understand what triggered this.
  • Stress can make us irritable with others, and it is good to understand what is causing the stress in your life and how you can manage it.
  • Inwardly turned anger can be caused by low mood and depression. Unhelpful thinking patterns such as criticism and blaming can effect our sense of self.

What support do we offer? 

Student Services can work collaboratively with you to help manage feelings of anger and irritation. You can access guided self-help or meet with a practitioner one-to-one to discuss your anger and find the most appropriate level of support.

Alternative Internal Support

You can access self-help through various University channels such as:

  • ShelfHelp, which provides eBooks or physical copies which can help you understand and manage anger.
  • If you understand that your anger comes from a place of anxiety, low mood or lack of sleep, SilverCloud, which provides various modules to work through that can touch on how to manage this which could help reduce your anger.
  • TogetherAll - a safe, online community where people support each other anonymously to improve mental health and wellbeing. This service is available until February 2023. After this time, we recommend that students reach out to SHOUT).

External Support

If you would like to access some self-help materials here are a list of alternative support resources.