Anger Management Techniques For Teenagers Seeking More Emotional Control

What is the best way to manage anger and other negative feelings?

One of the best ways to address strong negative feelings is diaphragmatic breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing - or belly breathing - involves taking slow breaths to help yourself remain calm. Evidence suggests that deep breathing can effectively lower stress, improve moods, and prevent escalation of negative feelings like anger.

If you feel your blood pressure rocket out of control when you’re angry and your body gives you clear signs of acute stress, try these steps:

1. Find a place to be alone. 
2. Close your eyes. Consider imagining calming imagery or soothing scenes, which can help calm you faster.  
3. Take a long, slow deep breath in. Focus on breathing from your belly. It should take four to six seconds for you to finish inhaling. 
4. Hold your breath for three seconds. 
5. Slowly release your breath, exhaling at the same pace as you inhaled. It should take four to six seconds to empty your lungs completely. 
6. Repeat as long as necessary until you feel calm. 

Generally, most people feel significantly calmer a few minutes after they start to breathe deeply; it takes a few rounds to be effective. Breathing deeply signals to your body that the situation is calm and relaxed. Feelings of anger appear in response to a perceived threat, and deep, slow breaths let your brain know that no threat is present. 

What are 5 ways to control anger that are good for mental health?

If you’re worried that uncontrolled anger is impacting you, you can try these anger management tips:

1. Exit the situation. Nothing helps reduce anger like stepping away from whatever is causing it. If you can, communicate that you need to take a few minutes to yourself, but if your anger hits too quickly, just turn and leave. Making an awkward or sudden exit is often preferable to letting anger appear. 
2. Take a deep breath. While it may seem cliche, deep breathing is one of the best ways to calm yourself down quickly. Anger appears as a response to a threat, whether real or perceived. Taking long, slow breaths signals your body that no danger is present. 
3. Don’t suppress it if you can redirect it. Suppressed anger is difficult to forcefully hide. If you feel yourself getting angry, acknowledge the emotion healthily. Find a physically-engaging activity like jogging, cleaning, or lifting weights. While you perform that activity, imagine the anger physically leaving your body. If you can feel it in a healthy way, let yourself feel and understand your anger as you perform your activity. 
4. Communicate your needs (if you can). If you can feel anger rising but are still calm enough to communicate healthily, ask to have your needs addressed. Don’t try to communicate your needs if the situation has been going south for a while. In that case, exit the situation and restate your needs after calming down. 
5. Avoid unhealthy strategies. You may have heard that you need to “let the anger out” to get past it. However, research has shown that while those methods may make you feel better in the moment, they can make anger significantly worse long-term. 

Aside from breathing exercises, what are other strategies for managing anger?

Try these anger management tools to keep your anger in check:

1. Identify and name your emotions. Many people do not stop to think about which emotions they are feeling and why. When reducing long-term anger, get in the habit of identifying and naming your emotions to be more specific about why you feel the way you do. 
2. Communicate as much as possible. Anger and frustration often arise from feeling unheard or misunderstood. Communicate your needs assertively before anger gets out of control, and you’ll stand a good chance of avoiding feelings of anger completely. 
3. Start a physical activity. You don’t necessarily need to adopt a comprehensive workout routine (although that would be best), but you should add physical activity to your weekly routine if you don’t have any already. Moderate physical activity is one of the best ways to prevent stress, frustration, bad moods, and anger. Even relatively easy things, like taking a brisk walk, can potentially benefit your well-being. 

What are 4 healthy ways to express anger?

1. Discomfort Caveats. Discomfort caveats are statements aimed at those around you that let them know your emotional state. Calmly let them know you are experiencing intense painful emotions, and communicating clearly may be more difficult. The goal is to keep others from getting defensive. Apologize in advance for your lack of clarity, but not for your emotion. Remember, issuing a discomfort caveat does not excuse or allow aggressive or threatening behavior. 
2. Slow everything down. Anger and frustration can lead to impulsive and reckless actions. Give yourself a moment to pause. You might feel less angry, but the goal is to give yourself as many options as possible to handle an emotional situation, not to completely avoid the anger. 
3. Exit the situation and communicate without speaking. If you are concerned you won’t be able to express anger healthily at the moment, consider communicating your thoughts in writing after you’ve had a chance to review them. Writing out your concerns allows you to evaluate the emotional content of your communication and decide whether you are injecting too much anger or frustration. 
4. Focus on problem-solving. If you’re feeling angry, there may be a frustrating problem that, if addressed, could significantly reduce your negative feelings. If you focus on the problem, it is less likely you will make things personal. Emotionally-charged issues can quickly degrade into interpersonal attacks, and concentrating on the problem details could keep contempt out of the conversation. 

Why do I get angry so easily?

There are several genetic, physiological, and environmental factors that determine how likely someone is to feel anger. If you’re easily angered, you may have what therapists refer to as a “low tolerance for frustration.” A low tolerance for frustration is partially due to genetics; evidence suggests that anger is a heritable trait. If a family member has anger problems, it increases the chance you might as well. 

Sociocultural factors may also play a role. From a young age, many people are taught that expressing negative feelings like sadness, fear, or anxiety is alright. Anger, however, is often taught as something that should be suppressed, making it challenging to manage as people grow into adulthood.  

Stress is another major factor in how anger develops. No matter a person’s natural disposition, they are more likely to become angrier as their stress levels rise. Even typically easy-going people with a high tolerance for frustration may become overwhelmed, frustrated, and angry in very stressful situations. 

How can I control my feelings?

Controlling your feelings begins before you feel yourself becoming angry. It is much easier to prevent anger from developing than to stop angry feelings once they appear. Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to keep anger at bay. Adopting an exercise routine boosts positive feelings, reduces stress, and gives you more mental energy for managing negative emotions. 

If your stress level starts rising, consider using relaxation techniques to help calm down. One of the top techniques is diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly breathing. Take long, deep, slow breaths, holding your breath briefly when you have completely filled your lungs. Feel the physical sensations that come with deep breaths; belly breathing sends signals to your body of safety, calm, and relaxation.  

How do you control anger during a conversation?

Controlling anger during a conversation is more challenging than keeping angry feelings at bay in the first place. If angry feelings arise in the middle of a conversation, consider taking a break as your first course of action. Taking a few minutes to calm yourself can often avoid trouble later on. 

You can also provide a discomfort caveat to the other person, letting them know - politely - that you are experiencing intense emotion and may not be able to communicate at your best. This helps the other party not become defensive but does not excuse aggressive or threatening behavior. 

Do I need anger management?

If you feel that your anger goes beyond your control, frequently impacts you negatively, or have been told by those around you that you have a problem with anger, anger management therapy is something you should strongly consider. Even if you don’t think you have a problem with chronic anger, if you are experiencing a heavy emotional load from negative emotions or feel you need to suppress feelings frequently, therapy can help. 

How do you release anger silently?

One of the best techniques for silently expressing anger is diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breaths. It may sound cliche, but long, slow breaths are one of the best-known methods for quickly and silently reducing anger. To breathe diaphragmatically, start by taking a deep breath that lasts about four seconds. Hold your breath for a second or two, then release it slowly. Again, it should take about four seconds. Repeat until you begin to feel calmer and your anger is starting to be replaced by a more positive emotion. 

What is a good form of anger?

Anger is often associated with negative effects, especially when it leads to aggression. However, not all anger is misplaced. Psychologists refer to constructive and destructive anger when discussing its impact on people’s lives. Destructive anger is what is typically discussed; excessive frustration, aggression, and out-of-control behavior are all features of destructive anger.

Constructive anger, or healthy anger, is associated with increased motivation and empowerment. For example, consider a person who is angry and frustrated because they were passed over for a promotion at work. If their anger is destructive, they may lash out or claim that the promotion process is unfair. If their anger is constructive, they will likely feel increased motivation to improve and avoid the frustration associated with another missed opportunity.