Keeping your cool shows your child that there are other ways to deal with anger.
Getting angry is a completely normal reaction, which can be a reaction to your child’s behavior, but also to your own state of stress or fatigue. However, your response to this emotion can influence your child’s behavior both now and in the long term.
Move away to better calm down
Regardless of the situation that may have triggered a feeling of anger in you, rather than exploding, shouting or even making a decision a little too hasty in front of your child, take the time to step away for a moment to reduce the tension. . In addition to calming yourself down, you’ll also show her that there are other ways to deal with her anger.
Taking this step back is useful for changing the dialogue of your thoughts and thus being able to reflect on the good attitude you want to have when coming back to your child. For this you can for example count to 10, breathe deeply, observe your environment, listen to music, or even call your partner. You can also tell your child that you are angry and are doing this to calm down and find a solution.
What should you avoid doing when you are angry?
While it is normal to feel a strong urge to move when you are angry, due to the stress hormone rising at that time, it is best to avoid attacking your environment or her child, but to move, jump or even dance to evacuate this excess energy.
As you have understood, when anger rises in you, it is essential to avoid violent gestures such as hitting, breaking, or even shouting at your child. He may feel scared, start crying or screaming in turn, and thus fuel your anger rather than calm you down.
Find out more: “Express your anger without losing control” by Didier Pleux, Odile Jacob editions.
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