Helping at-risk youth to manage anger is important
to their emotional and mental well-being.
Three Anger Management Strategies
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Encourage Open Communication:
At-risk children and teens need a safe space to express their feelings without judgment. Be empathetic. They need to talk about what triggers their anger and explore the underlying emotions. Some triggers may be conflicts with friends, academic pressures, family conflicts and misunderstandings, changes of routines, lack of sleep or hunger, hormonal changes, feelings of injustice and unfairness, bullying, personal losses, technology and social media, feelings of being misunderstood etc.
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Teach Problem Solving Skills:
Guide children and teens in identifying the source of their anger and talk about constructive solutions. Teach them to label the feeling of anger. Show them simple techniques for calming down such as deep breathing, counting to ten or taking a break in a quiet place. Encourage them to express their feelings using “I” statements such as “I feel angry when …” . Discuss with the children and teens specific situations that may lead to frustration. Help them to identify the situation that is making them angry. Brainstorm with them many strategies they could use to address the situation. Help them consider the consequences of each solution. Talk about positive and negative outcomes. Have them choose a solution that seems appropriate. Help them take steps to resolve the issue. After they have attempted a resolution discuss the outcome.
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Develop Healthy Ways to Cope:
Teach breathing exercises and meditation to calm down. Celebrate small achievements, every time a young person does something good, have them write it down in a small notebook and title the notebook “My Success Log”.
Encourage physical activities like sports, or exercise to help release built up tension. Artistic expressions such as drawing or playing music can be an effective way to channel emotions.
Establish consistent routines. This helps prevent stress and reduce and prevent emotional outbursts.
Overall, teaching anger management techniques to at-risk youth provides them with essential life skills that contribute to emotional well-being, healthier relationships and positive overall development. ARISE has Life Skills curriculum that can help the at-risk youth manage their anger.