Anger Management Skills for Teens

Teens who are explosively angry or even just regularly grumpy have higher levels of stress and depression. They also often experience physical symptoms such as stomach pains and high blood pressure. It's normal for teens to feel frustrated at times, but when anger gets out of hand, it may be time to learn a few anger management techniques.

Prevention/Solution

• Ways to prevent feeling angry include better time management skills, knowing your anger triggers and avoiding them and engaging in stress reduction techniques like exercise and meditation.

Anger Management Tips

• If you're already angry because you feel you've been wronged by someone, ask yourself, "How important is this in the long run?" Other tips include imagining a time when you've done the same thing to someone else or imagining a relaxing scene like lying in the sunshine.

Time Out

• Take a "time out" and walk away from an argument for a minute. If you're not able to walk away, count to 10 inside your head before you respond as an internal "time out."

Misconceptions

• In the past, angry people were sometimes counseled to yell and punch a pillow to "get it out." Psychologists today believe that venting escalates anger and may lead to hurting others emotionally or physically.

Benefits

• Managing stress and anger lowers a teen's risk for eating disorders, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure and substance abuse.