How can I help my teen with anger management when he rages? How can they learn to self-regulate?
Does your teen have difficulty controlling his anger or rage? Does s/he resort to using aggressive behavior or does s/he yell and quickly lose control? If so, you’re not alone.
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adolescents have experienced an anger attack that involved threatening violence, destroying property or engaging in violence toward others at some point in their lives. These severe attacks of uncontrollable anger are much more common among adolescents than previously recognized, finds a study led by researchers from Harvard Medical School.
Strategies to Help Teens Safely Express Anger
The challenge in helping explosive teens is keeping them safe while they learn ways to recognize anger and deal with it more constructively. There is a great deal that parents can do to help an angry teen learn ways to successfully cope with anger, here’s how to help your teen deal with their anger:
- Participate in physical activities. The impulse to do something physical when feeling angry is strong in most teens. Involvement in sports and other exercise helps in expressing anger on a regular basis.
- Hit a punching bag. Teens need safe ways to get their anger out, a punching bag works well, so does hitting a pillow repeatedly, or using a foam padded bat.
- Take a time-out or time-in. When anger escalates teens may need time alone to calm down and yell, cry or whatever is needed so they stay safe and others are not negatively impacted.
- Get into music. Popular with most teens, music works well to help teens identify and express feelings of anger, whether through singing, dancing or playing along with songs filled with rage.
- Identify triggers to anger. The better your teen can make the connection between what leads to angry outbursts, the more control they’ll have in expressing this emotion.
- Creatively express angry feelings. Both writing and drawing can be used effectively by teens to express and understand anger.
Calming a hot-temper is not only teachable, but also essential for growing up in a sometimes violent, unpredictable world. Besides, eliminating this behavior will do absolute wonders in creating not only a teen who is far more enjoyable to be with, but also a more peaceful family. If you’re consistent you’ll be able to help your teen learn a healthier way to handle their anger.
When a troubled teen still isn’t able to get a handle on their anger it’s time to consider getting professional help to get to the root of their anger and learn ways to manage these feelings.
Excerpts from Dr. Michele Borba’s book of THRIVERS.
Anger management techniques for teens that work
Anger is a natural emotion. The goal of anger control for teenagers is not to stop feeling angry. It is to express anger without hurting themselves or others. These anger management techniques for teens are easy to teach and practice at home:
- Deep breathing: slow breathing exercises lower the heart rate within a minute or two.
- Take a break: agree on a signal that lets your teen walk away and come back when calm.
- Catch negative thoughts: help your teen notice thought patterns like “everyone is against me” and replace them with more balanced ones.
- Problem solving: once calm, list what caused the anger and one thing that could be done differently next time.
- Move: exercise is a healthy coping outlet for stress and tension.
Managing anger effectively takes practice, and parents set the example. If outbursts include violence, threats or property damage, seeking professional help is important. Ongoing rage can be a sign of a mental health issue such as depression, ADHD or trauma that needs treatment.
Also read:
How Cyberbullying Effects Teenage Mental Health.
5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.
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If you are struggling with your teenager’s anger or rage and have exhausted your local resources, learn more about how residential treatment can help your troubled teen learn coping skills to handle anger management. Contact us today for a free consultation.
