5 Coping Strategies to Manage ADHD Anger Infographic

Learn ADHD anger-busting strategies with this Manage ADHD Anger Infographic.

Right or wrong, we all get angry sometimes. However, those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tend to get mad quicker and much more frequently than those without the condition, and they often blow small annoyances completely out of proportion. Seventy percent of adults and 80 percent of children with ADHD suffer from emotional dysregulation, which causes irritability. Knowing how anger affects your ADHD symptoms can help you respond vs. react. This 5 Coping Strategies to Manage ADHD Anger Infographic shares strategies to control anger and sometimes even stop it in its tracks.

Use this Manage ADHD Anger Infographic to help you deal with your anger before it ruins you:

5 Coping Strategies to Manage ADHD Anger Infographic

1. Use Willing Hands

Placing your hands face up in an open/receiving position makes it VERY difficult to stay angry. This ancient yogic pose puts you in a place of receiving as you engage in dialogue.

2. Take a Plunge

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, you need a way to shift out of the emotional lock you’re in. Plunging your face into cold water will immediately reduce your heightened state of emotion and bring your anger down.

3. Use Your Breathing Techniques

Exhaling slowly autonomically triggers the parasympathetic nervous system response. Instead of short, staccato attacks where you’re gasping for breath every couple of words, Longer sentences will let you exhale longer.

4. Focus on the Eyes

Evolutionarily, the lower part of the face is used for biting, so we naturally focus on other’s mouths when we engage in a defensive posture. Eyes convey presence, helpfulness, and openness to help cool the anger.

5. Recognize and Rewire

Anger often drives a coupled impulsive action we learned as children to self-protect or defend. It’s a knee-jerk reaction that has become socially maladaptive. Note your reactive response, then breathe through the impulse to inhibit the reaction.

Intervene early with helpful strategies.

When you become aware of your physiological state, you can find strategies and behaviors to compensate. Use the tools at your disposal to mitigate your reaction to anger and any potential fallout that comes with it.

Read the full blog post here: Why ADHD and Anger Make It Hard To Manage Emotions for even more information and guidance.