Being a teenager is hard. You often feel misunderstood as you leave childhood and enter adulthood. Luckily, not all hope is lost, and you don’t have to go through these changes alone. Lean on those around you to develop coping skills that show you how to deal with challenging emotions. There’s no shame in needing help. This article will discuss coping skills: how to help teens manage anger and stress to live more fulfilling lives.
Establish a Routine
The primary way to handle stress is to develop a routine. Routines help you gain control over your life and help things not feel so overwhelming. Here a few things that may help the anger subside so that they can keep calm.
Exercise
Lots of teenagers want to remain couch potatoes and watch Netflix all summer. Yet, exercise releases endorphins that can change your mind and help you feel better. Start small by going on a walk every day after school. There are also free exercise programs online that’ll help you break a sweat.
Sleep
Everyone needs their beauty sleep. There are many consequences to sleep deprivation, like irritability and the inability to concentrate. For these reasons, you should put the phone away at night to ensure you get a full eight hours. You’ll feel more rested and ready to take on the day if you get enough sleep at night.
Schoolwork
Homework can be a drag. However, the longer you put it off, the more stressed you’ll feel about doing it. As a result, you should do your schoolwork as soon as you get home. If you get into a routine with your work, it won’t feel like such a chore.
Talk it Out
Another tip on how to help teens manage anger and stress is to talk it out. Teenagers aren’t known for speaking about their emotions: that’s why adults need to create an open environment for them to discuss their feelings. Adults shouldn’t act judgmental or argumentative. Instead, they should let the teens know that it’s a safe space. Perhaps they will open more and let out their emotions if they know you won’t judge them.
Avoid Caffeine, Drugs, and Alcohol
Caffeine can make adolescents feel anxious and overwhelmed. Consequently, you should avoid caffeinated beverages so that you aren’t more nervous than you typically are. In addition to avoiding caffeine, you should stay away from drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol increase your irritability and add to your stress. Moreover, they will put you on edge in ways that you’ve never felt before. You may also get angry over the fear of someone catching you using these substances underage. For all these reasons, you should avoid drugs and alcohol, no matter how much peer pressure you’re facing.
Surround Yourself With Good People
Friendships are everything to teenagers. Their peers influence them more than any other group. Consequently, you should surround yourself with good people; these are the type of people who will encourage you and support your dreams. If you’re friends with people who bring you down, you’ll always feel stressed and angry. You should hang around people you can talk to when problems occur, not those who create them. Also, you should support your friends as much as they do you. If you create a friendly environment, there’s no room for anger.
Know Your Triggers
Another part of staying calm and de-stressed is knowing your triggers. For example, if you get angry in big crowds, try to avoid them as much as possible. Instead, find a quiet and calming area where you can recollect your thoughts. Another trigger may involve having to do work when you don’t want to. If this happens, try doing work a little bit at a time. Looking at the picture little by little will seem less overwhelming than looking at the entire thing all at once.
Life Skills Curriculum
There is also life skills curriculum that can help youth manage overwhelming feelings. The complete ARISE Anger Management Program helps teens and young adults learn behavior skills that alert them to the physical signs that indicate anger is rising, the emotional signs their anger is going up, and the stressors that trigger anger. Sharing this practical information with rebellious youth and young adults can help reduce violence and conflict later in life.
For staff working with the youth and young adults, the ARISE Online Life Skills Facilitator Training provides the skills to enhance your ability to engage the participants in interactive group discussions where they learn from each other. In training, staff learns how to use the ARISE teaching formula to introduce the lesson, develop engaging questions, increase participation, and come up with unique activities. The training introduces methods for positive reinforcement and behavior management concepts.
This training is a comprehensive, self-paced, 20-hour training designed for you to take at any time from anywhere; plus, you will have 60 days to complete the training. While the training is self-paced, that does not mean you are on your own. ARISE is with you to offer encouragement and suggestions and answer any questions you may have during the entire training experience.
The teenage years are some of the most challenging times in a person’s life. Teenagers deal with raging hormones and the complexities of becoming their own person. Since the period is so stressful, they need coping skills to deal with all of these feelings. To begin, teens should establish a routine. You should get regular exercise and sleep to have a successful path. Establishing a routine with schoolwork will also help assignments feel less overwhelming and more manageable.
You should also talk it out with friends and family when you’re feeling stressed out. That’s why it’s so important to have a solid support system around you. You need people who will encourage you and listen to your problems when necessary. Also, avoid caffeine, drugs, and alcohol to minimize the amount of stress and anger you feel.
Finally, offer life skills curriculum for teens to learn more coping mechanisms. The Arise Foundation offers superior courses that’ll help youth feel better equipped to handle the challenges that lie ahead. Our ARISE life skills curriculum for middle school and our complete ARISE anger management program is simple and easy to follow. We’ll help fix behavioral issues and get to the root of why youth act the way they do. For decades, our team has helped teens and young adults cope with the stress of life and give them the tools they need to become productive citizens.
