Anger Management

Anger Management

It is common for students to get angry from time to time and this would be considered normal. But when a student’s anger is affecting relationships and the quality of your life, then perhaps a student needs some help and needs to learn some techniques to manage his or her behavior.

Warning Signs and What to Look for

There often is usually a bigger issue behind a student's anger. Anger, irritation, and anger can rapidly rise. Anger can mask other feelings a student is feeling such as embarrassment, insecurity, hurt, shame, and vulnerability. If a student goes straight to anger as a response it is likely that their temper is covering up for their true feelings. Anger can also mask anxiety. Often students need to explore what is causing them to feel anxious or scared.

It may look like:

  • Students may get knots in their stomachs.

  • Students often clench their fists or jaw.

  • Student can feel clammy or flushed.

  • Students can breathe faster while demonstrating anger.

  • Students can have headaches.

  • They can pace around the room and need to walk around the classroom.

  • Students may have trouble concentrating.

  • Students can also have a pounding heart.

How to Help


  • Students can close their eyes and imagine a relaxing scene and breath deeply

    1. Breathing in and counting to four and then exhaling can assist a student when they are getting angry.

  • Students often benefit from Mindfulness Activities and help them feel calm and more grounded.

    1. You may try to show them a video that will guide them through a Mindfulness exercise in order to relax.

  • Students need to get plenty of sleep, they need to eat three healthy meals a day, and exercise daily in order to stay regulated and feel more prepared when they feel anger.

  • Students may need to go for a walk around the neighborhood or the school to deal with anger in the moment in a situation.

  • Students need to learn to express their anger in a manner that allows them to state how they are feeling in a calm manner.

    1. Bottling up anger can make students feel worse.

    2. Students may need to talk to a trusted adult or a counselor in order to get out their feelings.

  • Students may want to keep track of what makes them angry and when it happens to better understand what can trigger them.

  • Students may benefit from using “I” statements.

    1. When students use “I” statements they are describing a problem from their point of view rather than blaming or being aggressive towards others.

    2. This is a technique that helps students to understand how they are feeling and teaches them to communicate about their anger.

  • Students may need to take a time out from the situation that makes them angry.

    1. Students can learn to remove themselves from the situation and they can breathe and organize their thoughts.

  • Students need to get support when they struggle with anger.

    1. It helps to talk to a family member, a good friend, a doctor, or a counselor about the frustrations they are feeling and the difficulty they may have managing their anger.

Resources