6yo dd hitting herself when angry

[UnicornRainbow]

Just as the title says really. Dd is 6 and a lovely girl but she is also very moody and quick to get angry and huffy. Just recently if she doesn't get her own way, or she is given into trouble, then she reacts by hitting herself.

We have always had issues where she is quick to lose her temper and I've worked hard at getting her to remain calm and react differently but this new behaviour has just escalated.

Any advice on how I should deal with it? Currently I tell her we don't hit either ourselves or other people and that I love her very much and don't want her to hurt herself.

No advice but watching with interest as my almost 6yo has just started doing this and it really scared me.

For you to raise this on here it must be more than an occasional tantrum when DD's hungry or overtired, maybe coming down with something. By the sound of it before this escalated you were already helping her to de-stress. At 6 it might be more than temper, I would mention this to your GP.

I wonder has there been any disruption to normal family life - house move, new baby, loss of close family member? Even a normally vibrant, strong-willed person can find things get too much.

I expect you suggested things like counting to ten, shouting into a cushion or pillow, telling you or Dad that she feels upset before she erupts?

You don't mention aggressive behaviour towards others. I think it's more than what one 'helpful' stranger described to a friend of mine as "deflecting attention". Her DC was handling stress in their own intense way, not "playing to the gallery" (stranger #2 remarking).