Tools for Anger Management

Summertime!

Here are some notes from an anger management class that we went to. The kids made some cards and illustrations of their feelings and reminders too. 

Izzy said her mind is like a garbage disposal. It gets all clogged up and full of garbage, and she has to run the disposal to clear it out and think calmly again. Great analogy!

TRUTH—No one can make me angry. I choose.

3 Rules of Anger  Don’t hurt self, don’t hurt others, don’t damage property.

Look at it differently.  Seeing things from other perspectives (remember the guy whose kids were out of control?—his wife had died). Sometimes understanding another point of view is helpful in decreasing negative emotions.

4x4 breathing—deep breathing can help calm the body. Breathe in slowly to the count of 4 and out to the count of 4.

HALT Hungry Angry Lonely and Tired We don’t make good decisions when we are feeling these feeling.

Emotional Brain to Logical Brain—When we are feeling emotional, we can use counting or thinking things to pull us out of our emotional brain and into using the frontal cortex. We can then think through our situation.

REMEMBER anger is a secondary emotion. We FEEL something before we get to anger. It may be frustration, embarrassment, disappointment, intimidation, sadness. When we can put a name to our feelings and realize what situations trigger these feelings, we can help reduce negative results.

1, 2, 3 feelings back  Ask your child what feelings they had that day. Many times children have felt many other feelings, but can not name them or explain what they are feeling. If we help them learn different words to express their emotions, they will be more able to healthily express their emotions.