Anger Awareness Week

This week is National Anger Awareness Week here in the UK, hosted by The British Association for Anger Management.

What is the purpose of this awareness week?

The aim of Anger Awareness Week is to identify anger as a disturbing social issue which needs to be brought out into the open and addressed effectively. Anger Awareness Week will help people befriend anger by using the right tools to calm themselves down and to deal effectively with this emotion, be it of their own or that of others. (BAAM)

What does the BAAM do?

The British Association of Anger Management was established in 1997 and aim to support organisations and individuals with dealing with anger management issues through intensive programmes.

Anger in pregnancy & post partum

“How is this relevant to pregnancy and parenting”, you may be asking! Well, the hormonal changes of pregnancy and childbirth can cause emotional instability; I know this firsthand! Anger issues are often symptomatic of prenatal depression/anxiety and postnatal depression/anxiety. You can read more about PND here.

I’m struggling with my temper; what should I do?

The best thing that you could possibly do for yourself and your baby is seek help. Speak to your GP; they can refer you for therapy and other treatments, and prescribe medication if they feel it necessary. I wish I’d sought help sooner, as I suffered for months without any let up and all because I felt ashamed to admit how I was feeling.

Is there anything I can do to complement treatment?

Lots of mums suffering with anger (both pregnancy/birth related and unrelated) say that they’ve found some relief through self-help, holistic, and natural techniques.

The NHS website describes different treatment pathways here! You can also find and access local support groups by clicking here.

Just remember this…

It isn’t your fault! You are an amazing parent. Your baby loves you. It WILL get better.

To help raise awareness, please share your stories & experiences wherever you can – there is no shame in speaking out. By doing so, you will potentially inspire other suffering parents to seek the help that they need, and also help judgemental people become better informed.