Suggestions to Help Someone with Anger Management

Although an individual who lives with someone with anger management issues is usually the target of the anger out lashing, there are also times when a person with anger problems will come and ask for help, needing accountability in order to solve their problem. Some people might have become disillusioned with different anger management methods that are promoted by charlatans on the market and ask, "Does anger management really help?" However, there are methods that are promoted by the American Psychological Association that have been proven to work with many different individuals who have struggled their whole lives with anger management problems.

Tips

There are different ways to help someone with anger management. One of the best ways is to help that person to learn to decompress from the issue before saying or doing anything rash. Often going for a walk with that person and helping them to learn to breathe through their diaphragm is one way to allow them to expend energy in a healthy way and to learn to relax. In addition, it can be helpful for the individual to get away from the issue at hand for a moment in order to calm down before reacting. If the person is not there physically to help someone with anger management, they can be available by phone so that the individual needing help can call and let the other person talk them through breathing techniques and relaxation so that they can calm down until they can learn to do it for themselves.

Another way to help someone with anger management is to help them learn to journal their thoughts. Journaling allows individuals to see situations written out in black and white, which can be helpful to allowing them to sort out what the underlying problem was that triggered the extreme reaction of anger. Often, by helping someone with anger management journal, they will begin to realize that their anger is most highly triggered when someone embarrasses them in front of others in some way, or that it is triggered most by people who are perceived to be wasting the individual's time. By identifying the root of the anger, the individual is more able to recognize it when it occurs and talk himself through it logically before reacting. For instance, when feeling embarrassed for making a mistake that someone else pointed out, he can tell himself that everyone makes mistakes and the important thing is to learn from it rather than make another one by becoming angry.