Too much comfort and luxury can be a bad thing! Instant gratification has become a normal thing, and the side effect is Short Temper. We seem to be losing our “cool” too soon, but why does our head get so “hot”! Biologically, the hormone imbalance (testosterone) could be to blame; also, lack of patience and lesser social interactions add to the external factors.
However, it can get better! Thanks to today’s school systems that inculcate various activities and games to improve students personally. These activities have proved to be of great help for kids coping with anger issues.
Since anger management requires a student to develop patience and self-awareness, anger management activities in schools should focus on these factors. Some interesting activities to do the same are: Dive into yourself, counting numbers, arts, meditative procedures, etc.
We shall look into all the activities that are mentioned in the previous lines in detail just in a bit.
In this article, we discuss the need for anger management in high school students and then dive into our picks for best activities to improve a hot temper.
Need of classroom activities in anger management
A person’s anger is their worst enemy. Temper can make us do quite a lot of regretful things, which we’ll hate ourselves for later.
A lot of parameters change when a person has anger issues. The first and foremost fact is the communication of views is clearly hampered. The person gets frustrated for every minor fact; moreover, their social stability and bonds decrease over time.
Health POV
Not only does anger make a person psychologically and socially worse, it also leads to a higher BP, chances of head strokes, and more issues.
To avoid huge problems, anger management has to be a practice, not a choice. And to do this, school is the right place. High school students are the future adults. Since these students are the future responsible citizens of the country, management of personal issues is crucial. Therefore, an anger management activity ensures students grow into better citizens of the country.
Anger management activities/games for high schoolers
1. Dive into Yourself
In this activity, students are given a few minutes to recall one instance that made them angry. Later, they are called on to narrate the scene in a few lines and also the reason why they got angry.
How does this work?
This activity lets each and every student confess their darkest moments openly, and, thus, learn from their experience and mistakes. An added advantage is that all the students get a large number of stories to learn from where they need to manage their anger.
2. People and Number
This simple activity makes students count numbers to bring out their inner peace after hectic periods or sessions.
It is quite common for students to get frustrated after long boring periods. These frustrations may lead to any consequences if not addressed soon. Counting down numbers, say 10 to 1, with eyes closed, can make an instant difference.
How does this work?
Counting numbers is a proven way of increasing patience and reducing frustration in seconds worth of time. Many successful people follow this to control their emotions.
3. Art and Time
Anger management can be used to groom angry wards into people having impeccable patience. Art is the answer. The best form of art to improve patience is probably the Mandala art. This art needs lots of patience to ensure perfection.
The school can induce a mandala art class once a week to ensure students develop patience.
How does this work?
A person expresses their anger more crudely when they do not have the patience to express it nicely. The more patient you get, the lesser outbursts and toll on your ownself.
4. Breathing and Meditation
Meditation does not imply simply breathing in and out. Doing simple tasks with care, attention, and peace can be counted as meditation. Schooltime is perhaps the best time to inculcate this habit among kids by starting meditations class along with activities like gardening and knitting. Gardening can be the best activity that increases the meditation of the student and, thus, anger management. Cleaning the school premises, making students plant new plants, and watering them regularly can make students know about nature, discipline, and account to anger management too.
How does this work?
Meditation relaxes our brains and helps us become more pragmatic.
5. Mimicry and Humor Telling
Storytelling in a humorous way is a great anger management activity. Children should be asked to select one animal or their favourite character and imitate them. Later, they should be encouraged to mimic each other. Laughing one’s flaws off is a sign of a humble and wise man.
How does this work?
Imitating others or animals is a great way of inducing humour and calm. This clears out all the frustrations and anger in no time. However, note that one needs to be careful while imitating others. It may hurt feelings if not performed properly.
Some personal strategies to mitigate anger
At a personal level, each one of us can take some small strategies for anger management. They are:
- Learn to walk away
We can all get caught up in a bad situation, where you have a gut feeling that you may lose it! This may lead to anger and frustration. Thus, sometimes it is best to walk away from situations that lead to anger and frustration.
- Rose and candle therapy
This is nothing but the fundamental of the meditation procedures. This process needs you to inhale strongly as if you are smelling a rose and blow out the same without your mouth as if you are blowing a candle. Doing this instantly improves your mental state and helps in anger management.
- Throw it out
When you are angry or emotional, you need to take it out of you to get free. However, you need to look for the right outlet. You can take a pillow and hit it hard, or you can go to some lonely place and shout out loud to get free.
- Truthfulness is Almighty
Being truthful is the ultimate solution. The more you suppress how you truly feel, the more you push your boundaries and hence, invite rage! Always try to be truthful to yourself and others around you. This way, you can reduce the chances of getting angry.
- Personal Habits
Some personal habits could help individuals manage anger. For example, activities like exercising, listening to music, and drawing can bring peace to the mind; you need to find your stress buster.
The bottom line
We know that anger is a problem, and we know you’re gonna overcome it! You absolutely can get a grip on your expressions when you practice anger management.
High schoolers too can use the habits mentioned above to perfect a calm brain. The above five activities/games for anger management are effective if followed strictly. Remember, you are going to need two qualities:
- Self-awareness: This is the ability to know what is right and wrong and how to react.
- Self-control: Having Control over yourself in all situations & ensuring balance in self.
An Engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor, and animal rights activist. I have more than 5 years of teaching experience and have worked closely with students with learning disorders. I have worked with special educators, counselors, and experts in dealing with common issues that students face during their academic journey.