5 Strategies to Manage Your Teen’s Anger Effectively

Understanding the root causes of your teenager’s anger is crucial. These causes can stem from various sources. They might include stress, peer pressure, or personal struggles. Recognizing the signs of emotional distress and maintaining open communication channels will help you address their issues effectively.
Working together to create a supportive environment can foster trust and lead to better emotional outcomes for your teen.

Yelling, tantrums, throwing things, slamming doors, “you just don’t get it!!!” At times, it feels like an uphill, never-ending battle with your angry teenager. However, this too shall pass. With simple strategies, you can find ways to improve communication and meet somewhere in the middle.

1) Build rapport: spend time learning about your child and what makes them tick. 10 minutes a day of your undivided attention can make a major difference in your parent/child relationship. Find their love language and communicate yours.

2) Find the triggers: learn to recognize what makes your child angry. What are the ABC’s (Antecedent Behavior Consequence)? If you recognize the environments, situations, and people that trigger those explosive reactions, you can quickly address them. This awareness will help you take action proactively.

3) See the signals: what does your child’s anger look like physically, verbally, emotionally? Does his face start to get red? Clenched fists, pacing, fidgeting, laughing unexpectedly, grinding teeth, key words or phrases, etc. The more signals you are able to recognize, the sooner you will be able to deal with your child’s anger.

4) Develop coping skills: Find your calm. Practice breathing exercises, drink water, and take a walk. Talk to support people and take a shower. Eat something or take a nap. Engage with puzzles, books, tv, or music. Do whatever you need to get back to your best self as a parent. Find your own coping skills for stress and help your child find their own.

5) Reconnect and regroup: Review your progress and renew your goals. After implementing these ideas, take a step back and see if anything is changing? Are there adjustments that need to be made or are you on track? Don’t be afraid to ask your child for feedback on what you are doing as a parent. Teenagers are still kids. Oftentimes, they have the most insightful information. It is more valuable than anything you could find in a book or online.

Slow down the tempo…