Cool Down, Speak Up: Handling Anger the Smart Way featuring Rutgers University's Challenging Racism Conference

Everyone gets angry sometimes—it's a normal feeling. But when anger gets too strong or hard to control, it can hurt our health, our friendships, and how we feel about ourselves. Some people get angry quickly, while others hold it in until it builds up. No matter how it shows up, it’s important to learn how to handle anger in a healthy way.

Dealing with Anger and Controlling Your Emotions

Anger often shows up when we feel hurt, frustrated, or out of control. It can affect our relationships, our health, and our sense of peace. The good news is there are simple strategies that can help.

The YouTube video, "Dealing with Anger and Controlling Your Emotions", explains that while anger is natural, managing it constructively is essential. It emphasizes recognizing personal triggers, practicing mindfulness and deep breathing to stay calm, reframing negative thoughts, and seeking support when needed. These strategies help individuals respond to anger thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.

Control Anger, Before It Controls You

The APA’s article “Control Anger Before It Controls You” says that anger is a normal feeling, but it’s important to handle it in healthy ways. It suggests calming down with deep breathing or peaceful thoughts, changing negative thinking, and trying to solve the problem instead of just getting upset. It also talks about speaking up clearly without being mean, using humor to ease tension, and getting help from a professional if anger feels too hard to manage. 

What are your thoughts on anger management? How do you control your anger? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

Featuring...

Rutgers University's Challenging Racism Conference - June 4th

This livestreamed webinar will provide a thought-provoking and inspiring conference on challenging racism. Designed for professional social workers and allied professionals, attendees will hear from thought leaders and gain new skills and ideas to address issues of race in their work with clients, organizations, and communities.

The main keynote will be delivered by Heather McGhee, JD., who designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. She is an influential voice in the media and a former NBC contributor, McGhee regularly appears on NBC’s Meet the Press and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Deadline White House and All In.

McGhee is the chair of the board of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, and also serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Open Society Foundations’ US Programs and Demos. Heather is the author of the bestselling book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird will present the opening address, "Wiring for Equality: Brain Poetry and the Quest to Dismantle Racism". He is a Professor and former Dean of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Yellow Bird’s research focuses on the effects of colonization and methods of decolonization, ancestral health, intermittent fasting, Indigenous mindfulness, neurodecolonization, mindful decolonization, and the cultural significance of Rez dogs.

He is the founder, director, and principal investigator of The Centre for Mindful Decolonization and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, research reports, and the co-editor of four books. Dr. Yellow Bird is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) in North Dakota, USA.

Expert Panel The event will conclude with a lively panel discussion featuring both keynote speakers and Rutgers professors, Sandra Crewe, PhD, Mark Lamar, MSW, MBA, LCSW, and Chiara Sabina, PhD (moderator).

The Annual Challenging Racism Conference is offered in honor of Dr. William Neal Brown, a professor at the School of Social Work who passed away in 2009. Dr. Brown was the first Black professor at Rutgers. Although he taught at the School of Social Work for over thirty years, his contributions and legacy historically went unnoticed. To learn more about Dr. Brown's life and legacy, read his Oral History Archives interview through the Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences. 

Special thanks to Dr. Brown's longtime partner, Suzanne Zimmer, who made this support possible through her continued advocacy and contributions to the School of Social Work and Rutgers University.

Register here: https://ssw-ce.rutgers.edu/index.php?m=catalog&cid=3252

The SPAN Youth Chat

Join us virtually on June 4th from 4:15 to 5:00 PM with the SPAN Youth Engagement Team for a discussion about healthy relationships. Let’s talk about what makes relationships strong, respectful, and safe. Whether it’s family, friends, or dating, learning how to express yourself and set boundaries is important. 

Resources...

Link to SPAN's website: www.spanadvocacy.org
Link to SPAN's Youth in the Know Resource Page: Youth in the Know
We're here for you! Call SPAN if you need assistance: 1-800-654-7726.