Anger is a completely normal and usually healthy, human emotion. However, when anger gets out of control is can become destructive. Contrary to popular belief, research has found that allowing anger to go without restraint actually escalates anger and aggression, however it does nothing to help resolve the problem. We all know that when we lose our temper it scares younger children, can numb teens into tuning us out and prevents parents from thinking clearly. A better approach is to examine what triggers our anger and develop a strategy to eliminate the problem. (CSU Partners in Parenting)

Ideas On How To Keep Cool

Stop - Walking into another room and taking a time out for two to fifteen minutes has been shown to dramatically reduce the incidence of verbal and physical abuse. Taking deep breaths allows your mind and body to calm down.

Think - Carefully think through what you want to say. Remember to attack the problem and not the person.

Act - Communication is most effective when one uses a calm adult tone of voice and matching body language.