What is Anger?

Have you ever felt like hitting something or someone?  Or maybe you threw something, cursed or started to cry?  Do you know what causes us to do those things? It’s anger.  Anger is a feeling, just like feeling happy, sad or scared.  We have all been angry at some point in time, because there are many things that can make us feel that way.

Think about how you would feel if someone hurt your feelings or if you lost one of your favourite things.  You would probably get really upset.  But anger it not a bad thing.  Anger lets us know when things are not okay, and can even help us.  The real problem with anger, though, is how we handle it and what we do when we become angry.

Some people deal with anger by hitting others, or throwing things.  Sometimes, we may use words that hurt other people’s feelings – even our friends.  When we become angry, it is easy to lose our temper and do or say things that we may feel sorry for later.  But remember, whatever we do or say when we are angry, we can never take back.  This is why it is so important to deal with our anger in a positive way.  Our body gives us signs when we are getting angry: heart beats faster, palms get sweaty and breathing gets heavier.

When this happens, we know that we need to deal with our anger. You can try doing these things:

• Breathe deeply – Breathe in (hold it for 5 seconds) and breathe out…..do this 5 times.
• Count from 1 to 10 – This is to distract our mind from whatever made us angry.  If it is too easy, try saying the alphabet backwards!
• Write how you feel in a diary or journal – Writing down your feelings is a way of letting out your anger, so it is not inside of you anymore.
• Walk away from whatever or whoever is making you angry – Sometimes, you just need to take a time out from the situation which made you feel angry in order to calm down.
• Do something you enjoy – Try doing one of your hobbies, like playing games, reading, dancing or watching TV
• Talk to someone you trust about how you feel – Just talking about your feelings instead of keeping them to yourself can help you to feel better.  Sometimes, the other person can even give you good advice.

If these tips don’t seem to be working for you, you can always call ChildLine at 131 or 800-4321 and we will help.

By dealing with our anger in a positive way, we don’t hurt others or ourselves when we get angry.  Remember, nothing is wrong with feeling angry, as long as we express it in the right way!

Additional Information

http://www.angriesout.com/index.htm#kids

http://www.angermanagementtips.com/teens.htm http://kidshealth.org