May is Mental Health Awareness Month. With the pressure of grades, AP testing, final tests and projects facing students in the month of May, it is a good time to take a look at how to deal with anger and frustration.
Tips for Coping:
- Pause before reacting. Take deep breaths, count, or find ways to give yourself distance between you and what is upsetting you.
- Change your surroundings. Go to another room or step outside for a few minutes of fresh air.
- Get it all out. Venting your anger helps. You can pretend to talk directly at a person or situation you feel angry at.
- Release built up energy. Exercise is a great way to get rid of extra energy and can improve your mood.
- Get organized. Dedicate a few minutes each day to tidying, planning, or reorganizing.
- Eliminate stressors if possible. Sometimes there’s simply no way to get rid of a big problem, but there’s often more than just one issue contributing to your frustration. See if you can make small changes to improve a challenging situation to make it less burdensome.
- Manage your expectations. Negative feelings often stem from people or situations not meeting your standards or assumptions. Shift your mental framework so that you aren’t setting yourself up for disappointment.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are trying to cope with your anger but feel like you can’t get it under control, it’s time to ask for extra support.