The positives

Feeling angry can sometimes be useful. For example, feeling angry about something can: 

• Help us identify problems
• Help protect us from things that are hurting us
• Help us feel more energised or focused on a task
• Motivate us to push for changes in the world or to help others who are being treated badly
• Help us to challenge and stand against injustice or discrimination
• Help us stay safe and defend ourselves in dangerous situations by giving us a burst of energy as part of our body's natural response to threats 

 

The negatives

Anger can be a difficult emotion to cope with. And we all have times where we may struggle with anger. Sometimes, anger can: 

• Distract us from what we need to do 
• Make us say or do things we regret 
• Make it harder for us to express ourselves clearly or calmly 
• Lead to arguments or conflict with others 
• Make us feel guilty and ashamed 
• Stop us from recognising or dealing with other emotions 
• Make it harder for us to take care of ourselves 
• Impact our self-esteem 
• Have an effect on our bodies, for example, impacting our sleep 
• Lead to people making judgements about us