controlling anger

Do I Ever Get Angry? Yes, and This Is What I Do.

People look at me, especially on the sidelines when I was a coach, and say, “He’s cool, he’s calm, he’s collected. Does he ever get angry?” There are also stories about how I never raised my voice at the team. Well, I can tell you this—that’s not the Tony Dungy my junior high and high school buddies know. I was a hothead back then. And I was a hothead in college. But I learned how to start controlling anger. So yes, I do get angry—and this is what I do about it.

When something gets you upset, you have to think about what you can do to improve the situation.

I try to remember what my dad told me when I would get out of control. He would say, “Did that help the situation?” When something gets you upset, you have to think about what you can do to improve the situation. Usually, I find that getting angry and venting emotions doesn’t really help. In fact, it often can make the situation worse. So when I start getting upset, I think about what can I do to help the situation and that throws me into thinking ahead instead of reacting with anger.

Sound off: What advice would you give to somebody who has a hard time controlling anger?

Huddle up with your kids and ask, “How do you calm yourself when you get angry?”