I remember the first time I got really fucking angry. I was 15 and my parents wouldn’t let me go out with my friends and I took all the glass within reaching distance and chucked it full speed at the walls. With my bleeding fingers I thought it would be a good idea to get a piece of paper and write ‘I HATE YOU’ in my own blood to leave on their pillow. Yeah, that’s a whole lot of anger.
I don’t get quite as angry any more – there’s definitely something to be said for hormones in your teens – but I do sometimes still see red. Especially when it comes to Uber drivers. And I’m not the only one.
A 2008 study carried out by Mental Health – the UK’s leading mental health research, policy and service improvement charity – found that one in five 18-24 year olds say they have trouble controlling their anger, and that 64% of people polled agree that people in general are getting angrier.
And the reason this conversation is so timely? This week it's National Anger Awareness Week. In homage we’ve rounded up 20 things that make us angry as 20-somethings in the UK…
1.Tourists who can’t figure out where they’re going and get in your way.
2.How fucking expensive it is to get on the bus and/or tube and/or even exist.
3.People who read over your shoulder.
4.Facebook requests to join Candy crush/Farmville/any and all other games.
5.When people stand in the middle of the street checking their phones.
6.Uber drivers.
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When there aren't any Uber drivers nearby and we need them to be. We're very conflicted about Uber.
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People who sneeze/cough and don’t cover their mouths.
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Shop assistants who talk about their personal lives to their colleagues WHILE serving you.
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People that push on to the tube before people get off.
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Slow walkers.
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The Tube. Full Stop.
13.Guys who take selfies.
14.People who don’t text you back even when you can see them Tweeting/Instagramming/doing things other than replying to your message.
15.When your underground Wi-Fi doesn’t connect when you’ve stopped at a station eating in to your precious 15 seconds of being able to email/like/refresh/comment/etc.
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People who randomly tell you to smile or ‘cheer up, love!’
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When you go out for dinner and everyone’s stuck to their phones.
18.Everyday sexism.
19.When your iPhone battery dies within minutes of leaving your house. Every. Fucking. Time.
20.People who chew with their mouths open.
But we don’t want to leave you thinking about all these annoying things that people do, so we asked some pros for a few anger management tips for when the world goes red – several of which we'll be utilising outselves, stat.
How to manage your anger
•‘Buy time and count to 10,’ suggests nutritionist and health therapist Pollyanna Hale. ‘Take three long, deep breaths that go right into your belly. This slows your breathing and heart rate, which speed up when you're wound up.’
•Take ownership of the situation and your feelings and tell people (with the best communication skills you can muster) that you are feeling angry and why. Mental Health suggests using the word ‘I’ to make it about you not them, and saying ‘I could’ and ‘I might’ instead of ‘I must’ or ‘I should’.
•Exercise! Both exercise and meditation release feel good endorphins that help us relax and better control / disperse of anger. ‘Intense exercise like boxing can be a great outlet for frustration, or alternatively gentle yoga or pilates are more balancing and calming,’ suggests Pollyanna.
•Many suggest eating a balanced diet as some foods have been found to affect mood in different ways.
•However tempted you are to turn to alcohol or drugs – don’t. Pollyanna suggests drinking calming drinks like chamomile or lemon balm tea. Maybe burn some calming essential oils while you’re at it, too. Pollyanna suggests Lavender and Neroli.
•Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep (I probably don’t really need to tell you this) can make you irritable and less able to contain your anger.
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Follow Alya on Twitter @moorizZLA
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.