Getting angry is normal, letting anger get the best of you is not. It is important for teens to learn to recognize when at-risk youth are losing control of their tempers and how they can manage their anger. Once upon a time, parents found time to teach their children how to deal with their emotions including those that lead to anger. Today’s stressed and weary caregivers often can’t find the time or energy to share information with their offspring.
Teenagers need to understand that when their anger is out of control, if they get angry at everything that inconveniences or annoys them and yell, hit or shove those they come in contact with. Youth are out of control when they do reckless things such as drinking, drugs, physical fighting as a result of being angry.
At-risk teens need to learn how to manage their anger. They MUST know: The difference between an annoyance or a real reason to get mad- if someone is actually threatening or hurting them, or damaging a possession – that is a good reason to be angry. Someone getting in their way is not a good reason to get angry Tools for staying cool- talking a deep breath, walk away from a confrontation, jog, lift weights, workout, exercise, talk with friends or a trusted adult about the issue Anger triggers
Teaching teens anger management is crucial because of the alarming statistics about anger and teens: The following statistics show the effects of anger on everything from dating to school to home life.
More than 1 in 3 high school students, both male and female , have been involved in a physical fight. 1 in 9 if those youth have been injured enough to receive medical treatment – SafeYouth.com There are more than 24,500 different street gangs in the United States alone. More than 772,500 of the members of these gangs are teens and young adults. – 2002 National Gang Trends Survey( NGTS) These gangs often have violence at their very core. The U.S. Justice Department Report stated that 1 in 3 teens both male and female have experienced some sort of violent behavior from a dating partner.
Anger Management for Teens is a serious issue in the 21st century. There are teenagers who have committed suicide because of being harassed by peers. In this day and age cyber bullying through testing can cause these tragedies. Teens must be taught to deal with anger. Make sure that the teens you know have the tools to handle their anger. Help them diffuse their anger by:
Having them use relaxation methods to calm down- deep breathing exercises; tightening and relaxing muscles, repeating a calming phrase- showing them a way to find calmness.
Anger issues can surface because of low self-esteem. Help them develop confidence. Cut them some slack and see the positive things they do and compliment them. Have them write down their feelings. If writing is difficult have them draw or create a rap song. Exercise can help a teen diffuse their anger Give some acceptable outlets to express anger- punching bag, pillow, a time out area to be alone.
