In my own experience, playing sports has been really good for dealing with this shit. I joined the rugby team my first year at college. Every day I got to throw myself (literally, through the air in some cases) into practice. It's so intense you can't help but feel good when it's over. Imagine putting that favorite counselor's face on the body of the guy you're about to slam face first into the dirt. Imagine that instead of sitting there and taking it, you had a chance to slam one of those fuckers to the ground and stomp all over their worthless torso. It's one of the most gratifying things I've ever experienced. And since everyone else on the field is exorcising their own demons, everyone knows what's going on, and there are no hard feelings after the game. In fact, it's the only sport I've ever played where everyone gets drunk together on the field as soon as the game is over. To be able to get all that shit out, play an awesome game, and make new friends in the process has done a lot to help me get over the trauma of my stay at the Academy At Swift River. It also helped that by joining the rugby team, I was meeting people who are just as crazy as me, for whatever their reasons. Rather than join the tennis team and have people be scared of my anger, I joined the rugby team and had people cheering me on when I tapped into it. My advice to anyone struggling after a stay in an institution is to find something visceral and intense, something you love that lets you get out your anger safely and physically, that is self affirming and positive. For me it's rugby, for others it might be martial arts, boxing, raquetball, weightlifting, etc. All I'm saying is that part of the process of recovering from these places is to engage in activities that reaffirm your self esteem, by using your pain as fuel for something positive. Find something where those feelings of rage and desperation are an asset, giving you that extra strength of will to push on where others give up. The recognition, respect, friendship, and support that can come from joining a sports team can be a wonderful thing for some, in addition to fostering self respect and confidence with tangible accomplishments, which is the most important aspect. Whatever you choose to do, whether it's solitary or with a group, the important thing is that by getting those endorphins going, you'll feel better physically, and by getting that anger out, you'll feel better mentally. When you see just how much you're capable of you'll only feel better about yourself. That's my 2 cents on this one.
