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Retired

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Anger management tips: 10 ways to tame your temper
By Mayo Clinic staff

Controlling your temper isn't always easy. But these effective anger management tips will help give you the upper hand.

Do you find yourself fuming when someone cuts you off in traffic? Does your blood pressure go through the roof when your child won't cooperate? Anger is a normal and even healthy emotion, but learning how to deal with it in a positive way is important.

Uncontrolled anger can make both you and other people feel lousy. If your outbursts, rages or frustrations are negatively affecting relationships with family, friends, co-workers or even complete strangers, it's time to learn some anger management skills. Anger management techniques are a proven way to help change the way you express your anger.

10 tips to help get your anger under control

1. Take a 'timeout.' Although it may seem cliche, counting to 10 before reacting really can defuse your temper.

2. Get some space. Take a break from the person you're angry with until your frustrations subside a bit.

3. Once you're calm, express your anger. It's healthy to express your frustration in a nonconfrontational way. Stewing about it can make the situation worse.

4. Get some exercise. Physical activity can provide an outlet for your emotions, especially if you're about to erupt. Go for a brisk walk or a run, swim, lift weights or shoot baskets.

5. Think carefully before you say anything. Otherwise, you're likely to say something you'll regret. It can be helpful to write down what you want to say so that you can stick to the issues. When you're angry, it's easy to get sidetracked.

6. Identify solutions to the situation. Instead of focusing on what made you mad, work with the person who angered you to resolve the issue at hand.

7. Use 'I' statements when describing the problem. This will help you to avoid criticizing or placing blame, which can make the other person angry or resentful ? and increase tension. For instance, say, "I'm upset you didn't help with the housework this evening," instead of, "You should have helped with the housework."

8. Don't hold a grudge. If you can forgive the other person, it will help you both. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to behave exactly as you want.

9. Use humor to release tensions. Lightening up can help diffuse tension. Don't use sarcasm, though ? it's can hurt feelings and make things worse.

10. Practice relaxation skills. Learning skills to relax and de-stress can also help control your temper when it may flare up. Practice deep-breathing exercises, visualize a relaxing scene, or repeat a calming word or phrase to yourself, such as "Take it easy." Other proven ways to ease anger include listening to music, writing in a journal and doing yoga.
 

Retired

Member
I believe behavioural therapy for anger control training would be provided for adolescents.

Strategies are learned to identify triggers, understand the progression of an angry reaction and ways to abort the reaction.

At one time in my life I received behavioural therapy for anger management which helped me significantly.

You may find the attached :acrobat: article of interest "Creative Strategies for the Treatment of Anger".
 

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imbetts

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He is seeing a therapist who is working with him in trying to help him recognize his triggers and how to try to manage them. At times he is compliant and others he says he doesn't care and he isn't going to do what they worked on.
 

Retired

Member
imbetts said:
At times he is compliant and others he says he doesn't care and he isn't going to do what they worked on.

Does his therapist get updated on his occasional non compliance so the issues that preclude compliance can be addressed?

With continued therapy, and maturity hopefully he can come to the understanding that anger and an angry response can be separated and that an angry response is counter productive in most situations:

Anger Versus Angry Response
It is important to see the difference between anger, which is a valid emotional reaction to perceived threat, and how we behave when we’re angry. Anger is a common, natural response that can have value, even survival value. There is nothing wrong or unusual about feeling angry. Still, it can be a very discomforting feeling. The problem with anger usually begins when this rapid anger reaction reduces our ability to reason.

Then, what we do when we are angry may be impulsive, dangerous to ourselves or others, damaging, or even disruptive. There is potential for danger in both reacting aggressively and in trying to deny our feelings, which can contribute to depression or physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or ulcers.....Source

The remainder of this article that contains additional insights is attached as a :acrobat: document
 

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imbetts

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Every time he requires intervention I call his therapist and we brainstorm on what could have caused it. It is hard to figure it out at times myself because his OCD can be so debilitating to him as it causes his thoughts to keep going over and over in his mind and it is as if unless he listens to those thoughts things aren't right in his world. I have started keeping a journal to see if he follows bipolar patterns, he seems to cycle between wanting to die and then being okay. (approx 1-2 weeks)
 
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