Anger is a normal, healthy emotion. It's an everyday part of life and a natural response to feeling attacked, deceived, frustrated or treated unfairly. Feeling angry about something can help you identify problems or things that are hurting you, motivating you to create change, or helping you defend yourself in a dangerous situation by giving you a burst of energy. However, anger can become problematic when it persists, with the potential to harm you and the people around you.  Some unhelpful ways you may have learned to express anger include: outward aggression and violence; inward aggression – such as telling yourself that you hate yourself, cutting yourself off from the world and self-harming; and non-violent or passive aggression – such as ignoring people, refusing to do tasks, or deliberately doing things poorly.

Read the NHS self-help guide to Controlling Anger.