Anger Management Techniques for Teens

Being a teen can be hard, especially when dealing with all the emotions you do.  Here are some Anger Management Techniques for Teens

 

Anger Management Techniques for Teens

You see red every time your Mom tells you, “Because I said so.” Instead of holding your tongue and take a few deep breaths you lash out and yell things that you later regret. If you’re having trouble controlling your aggression and anger issues, some anger management techniques can help curb those angry feelings before they get the best of you.

Figure Out Your Triggers For Those Angry Outbursts

The first step is to grab a pen and write down all of the situations that make you feel the angriest. Perhaps those guys that hang out behind the cafeteria at lunchtime harass you every time you walk by, or maybe you feel an outburst of aggressive behavior coming on every time your sister beats you at a game. Next, write down how you are going to deal with those warning signs by either finding a way to avoid them entirely (e.g., walking around the cafeteria at lunchtime and not playing that game with your sister) or planning out in advance the best way you should respond to them when they arise.

Relax And Deep Breathing

Relaxation techniques such as taking deep, slow breaths and visually imagining relaxing scenarios can help you curb your uncontrolled anger before it jumps up to the next level. Maybe you carry around your mp3 player in your jeans pocket and you can pull it out to listen to your most relaxing tunes whenever you feel a surge of feelings of anger. Laughing is another way to relax your body. The American Psychological Association recommends it as an anger management technique. By learning to laugh at your angry whims and painful emotions (e.g., imagining a “dirt bag” guy as an actual bag of dirt) you can quickly turn around the feeling.

Restructure Your Internal Dialogue For Your Teen Anger

The American Psychological Association also recommends changing the way you think as a way to reduce your chances of emotional changes and becoming angry in the future. If your internal dialogue used to say extreme things such as, “The world is over because Mom won’t let me use her car. She never lets me use her car,” you can make a concerted effort to tell yourself, “I’m thinking the world is over because I’m not getting what I want. The world is not over, and she sometimes does let me use her car.” If you have trouble turning your thoughts around, a licensed therapist can help you come up with new coping skills and techniques.

Redirect Your Energy And Your Negative Feelings

You may find that your anger dissipates when you find activities that encourage you to enjoy your life more often. For example, exercising or any other physical activity regularly allows you to work off energy and increases happy brain chemicals called endorphins. Also, finding relaxing hobbies such as taking a yoga class and playing music can redirect your thoughts and quiet your mind. Moreover, joining a new faith and attending church or volunteering to help the less fortunate may renew your appreciation for what you have and make you feel less entitled to have everything go your way.

 

Effective Anger Management Techniques For Teenagers

Anger management techniques require practice, and while managing the signs of anger may be difficult the first several times you try, it eventually becomes second nature through repetition.

Leaving the Environment

It’s perfectly acceptable to walk away from a person or situation that’s making you angry. Sometimes it’s best to give yourself the time and space to cool down until you can deal with the aggressive behaviour constructively. If at all possible, never drive when you’re angry; your distraction and lack of focus put you and other drivers at risk.

Finding A Creative Outlet For Your Mood Swings

Giving creative expression to your anger can help defuse the emotion. Write down what you’re feeling and be completely honest about your teenage anger and the situation that provoked your anger. Nobody has to read it; the important thing is to give your own feelings an outlet instead of bottling them up. You might also find that playing calm music or a song that relates to what you’re feeling helps to settle your anger and violent behavior as well.

Regular Exercise Is The Most Effective Way To Deal With Serious Problems

A brisk walk, jogging, or working out can channel your anger. The physical exertion releases your emotional tension. Exercise also triggers the production of endorphins, neurochemicals that naturally calm and relax you, allowing you to find a means of constructively dealing and coping mechanisms with the situation that’s angering you.

Identifying The Signals Is A Great Way To Find Specific Coping Strategies

Recognizing the emotions and physical sensations that underly anger allows you to manage your own anger by preventing it from blindsiding and overtaking you in a rush of rage. Emotions, such as embarrassment or frustration, are often the prelude to anger. Physical manifestations, including rapid heartbeat and muscle tension, are signals you can tune into to prompt you to exert greater self-control. Once you recognize what’s triggering your anger and why you’re provided with the forewarning that can help you constructively deal with it.

Relaxation And Other Healthier Ways For An Angry Teenager

Visualize a tranquil setting, bringing the place’s colors, sounds, and textures into the sharpest focus you can manage. Once you have this vision firmly set in your mind, concentrate on fully relaxing every muscle in your body, gradually working your way up from your feet and legs to let the tension drain from your arms and shoulders. With practice, you’ll be able to enter this relaxed state very quickly, heading off anger before it reaches an unhealthy peak.

As a teenager, you might get angry due to hormonal changes, or because that’s the only way you’ve seen people act in your family setting. In any event, adolescent anger is a normal emotion, according to Angermanagementtips.com. The trick to dealing with it is to practice self-control and develop tools that allow you to function successfully in home, school, extracurricular activities and social settings

Find What’s Bothering You

Try to identify what’s making you angry so you can respond appropriately. If a teacher says you haven’t turned in your homework for a week, you may be tempted to get angry and respond rudely. Ask yourself why the teacher’s comments made you angry, or whether you’re feeling something else–say, embarrassment–rather than anger. After you’ve pinpointed how you feel and why you’ll be able to respond more rationally. If you’re embarrassed the teacher mentioned your missing homework in front of other students, you can ask if you may drop by after school to clear up the problem.

Check Your Physical Response And Other Appropriate Ways To Deal With It

The Center for Young Women’s Health says you can help control your anger by recognizing how you feel physically when you get mad. If you start taking shallow breaths as your anger mounts, practice breathing slowly and deeply to calm yourself down. If your muscles tighten, take a minute to relax them. As you feel yourself wind up physically and mentally, the center also suggests repeating a calming phrase to yourself or closing your eyes to think about a calm person or place. In the situation when the teacher asks for your homework, this moment of calm can help you respond without an angry outburst.

Seek Alternatives And Other Safe Ways

Think about the consequences of your anger and use tools other than angry words to achieve the goal you want. In the homework scenario, an alternative to lashing out could be to say to the teacher, “I know I haven’t gotten my work in. Could we work together on a solution?” One alternative is to walk away from a situation to get calm. If you need time to respond to the teacher, ask to use the restroom; if you’re in a heated situation with other students, taking time off is a good way to cool down.

Look Back

After an angry episode, analyze how you acted. Asking yourself whether you practiced self-control, made rational choices, and achieved a goal you wanted. If you didn’t, think about how you can improve in the future, or issue an apology for the current situation if you feel that’s appropriate.