Anger Management in Teens

Teens frequently have difficulty keeping their anger in check. Rather than trying to control feelings of anger and frustration as they erupt, many teens simply lash out verbally, with screaming and yelling, or physically, by slamming doors or stomping away. Others become quiet and depressed.

Angry feelings are normal, but how teens – and adults – cope with them determines whether the response is appropriate and acceptable. When underlying issues causing the anger are not dealt with, that anger can turn violent and angry teenagers can become troubled teens × Troubled Teens
Troubled Teens /trou.bled/ /teens/ n. Noun A troubled teen is defined as a person that is between the age 13-19 that is beset by problems or conflict. Every Teenager faces problems that they must encounter in their life.  Problems arise in every person’s life both big and small yet sometimes we allow even the most insignificant of problems affect our lives.  Sometimes with teenagers they allow trials in their life greatly affect them in negative ways.  Typically when a person (typically teenagers) face problems in their lives, the ability to cope with the problem does not exist.  When teenagers turn to other things to cope with the feelings of the problems that they usually face  things such as drugs and alcohol, pornography, criminal activity, etc. It is important to find help for troubled teens as soon as possible.  There are many different programs that are available to help troubled teens with the problems that they face each with a different approach and nature to the program.
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Fortunately, there are steps you can discuss with your teenager to help them better deal with anger management and the emotions they are feeling.

1. 1. Ask about situations in which your teen is most likely to feel angry. Talk about triggers that frequently cause angry feelings. Try to spot patterns.
2. 2. Discuss how to identify anger. Ask your teen how they feel when they become angry. Most teens experience an increased heart rate, increased breathing, tightened muscles and may start to become overheated.
3. 3. Talk about the thoughts-feelings-behaviors connections. By paying attention to thoughts that cause angry feelings, teens can choose how they respond. That is, by learning techniques for calming themself down, they can avoid acting out impulsively due to anger.
4. 4. Suggest calming tips. Taking deeper breaths, talking the situation over with a friend, changing their environment × Environment
   n.noun en·vi·ron·ment The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines environment as the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. A person's environment, or social surroundings, have an enormous impact on the way that person thinks and operates. If a person is surrounded by negativity, he/she is more likely to replicate that negativity and display negative behaviors in other areas of life. The environment of a troubled teen can often be the root cause or factor in the troubled adolescent's negative behavior. When an impressionable teenage boy or girl is surrounded by negative peers, it is common for these teens to develop negative behaviors themselves. It is for this reason that parents should be aware of their child's social surroundings and environmental influences. If a teenage boy or girl is troubled, a total change in their environment may be in order. By replacing a troubled teen's negative environment with that of a therapeutic, nurturing and rehabilitative environment, troubled adolescents are able to emotional, therapeutic and behavioral restoration.
   , can all help your teen get perspective about what’s really going on and what he or she should do about it.
5. 5. Offer coping techniques. Your teen has the power to decide for him- or herself how they will respond when situations come up. Suggest they think about the consequences × Consequences
   n. noun con·se·quences The Merriam- Webster dictionary provides the following definitions for consequences: 1.the effect, result, or outcome of something occurring earlier: The accident was the consequence of reckless driving. 2.an act or instance of following something as an effect, result, or outcome. Consequences is a prevalent issue in the life of a troubled teen. Troubled adolescents who suffer from negative consequences, do so because of their poor decision making. Whatever choice a teenage boy or girl decides to make, a consequence of that decision will soon follow. If a teen chooses to make productive choices in life, he/she will reap the benefits of positive consequences. However, if a teen makes poor choices such as, abuse drugs and alcohol, skipping class, hanging out with the wrong crowd or disobeying parents and authority, that teen will reap negative consequences. Negative consequences such as, legal troubles, being grounded from parents, or getting kicked out of school due to inactivity or rebelliousness, are all viable and likely negative consequences a teen will experience if he or she is making poor choices.
   of saying or doing things in anger, which may help them see that what they may want to do is worse than another course of action.
6. 6. Give the “walk away” option. Suggest that when your teen is so angry they can’t think straight, that they should walk away until they are calmer, or else they may say or do things they will surely regret later.

In addition to improved self-confidence and better relationships, teens who learn to manage their anger can also benefit from better health. The Center for Young Women’s Health at Children’s Hospital in Boston reports that “People who manage their anger get sick less often, and feel better emotionally.”