Angry? Need to De-escalate? Corner
The key to effective anger management is to find methods to calm down, monitor and/or modify your beliefs, attitudes, physical cues and actions/behaviors. The three approaches we focus on: 1) distracting yourself from the activating event and negativity, 2) monitoring and managing your physical cues, and 3) monitoring and managing your attitude.
| Distractions | Attitude | Physical Cues |
| Prayer Safety Plan | Self-Talk and Self Praise (What could you say?) | Deep Breathing (7-3-7) Practice this |
| Pleasant Imagery Think of a calming place | Rationalization (Choose your Battles) | Muscle Relaxation Activities |
| Walk Away (Avoidance) (Be courageous enough to walk away) | Staying Focused and Considering Consequences (You have some power to decide the outcome) | Monitor Stance and Tension |
| Counting Backward Grounding Technique Practice this | Modify Thoughts (Your thoughts and emotions will dictate your behaviors and actions) | Monitor Physical Cue(s) (Warning Sign) What’s your Cue |
Pick your favorite method from each category and commit to practice and use them regularly!
You have to practice them, to master them.
Humor
Did you know that HUMOR can help you to De-escalate? Well, it can!
We’ll talk more about Serotonin and Dopamine later, but for now, just LAUGH!
Which video can you relate most to?
Grounding Exercise
The concept of grounding was first developed by Lowen (1958/1979), one of the first body psychotherapists.
7-3-7
Remember how we taught you to do this technique?
Breathe in to the count of 7.
Hold your breath to the count of 3.
Then, exhale slowly to the count of 7.
Self-Talk
According to Pathway2Success.com, “Self-Talk” is the inner voice that goes on inside our heads throughout our waking hours. Positive self-talk is when we talk to ourselves in a reassuring, kind, and more optimistic way.
Positive self-talk can have a big impact on how we think and feel. Over time, engaging in more positive self-talk can help reduce stress, improve self-esteem, increase motivation, inspire productivity, and improve overall mental and physical health.
Positive self-Talk will either build you up. However, negative self-take can OR break you down. What you tell yourself is as important as what you feed yourself. What are you telling yourself?
Here are a few examples of Positive Self-Talk:
I can create the life I want • Why not me? I can do it. • I am powerful. • I’m a winner, not a quitter. • I make wise choices.