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7 Tips for Anger Management

7 Tips for Anger Management

By Melissa Plantz|June 27th, 2023|Anger Issues, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Anger can get the best of us, ruining relationships and jeopardizing careers. An angry outburst may only last seconds, but the consequences can last a lifetime if you don't employ anger management. The Bible states, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” (Ephesians 4:26, NIV) Anger is a normal emotion, but like any other emotion can be righteous or sinful, depending on many circumstances. Uncontrolled anger, for example, can hurt other people. Your expression of anger can include words and actions you can never take back. You must learn how to control your anger with tips for anger management. 7 Tips for Anger Management To get control of anger, be willing to practice tips for anger management. These strategies will help you to slow down and process what is happening instead of reacting on impulse. You can write the list of tips on an index card or in the notes section of your phone as a reminder. Don’t react. When you are in the heat of the moment, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you can do this. You may be dealing with a person who wants you to react. You take away their power when you do not respond to their behavior. This does not mean that you will not address the situation in the future, but you need time to process what is happening and this person’s motivation. Is this person pushing blame onto you, or do you play a role? Be honest with yourself. Are you responsible for the confrontation? If it is a scenario where you are in a traffic jam, and someone honks and yells at you, try to remember that they are in the same frustrating place that you are [...]

How to Manage Anxiety Effectively

By Kate Motaung|June 20th, 2023|Anxiety, Featured, Individual Counseling|

It’s normal to be a bit apprehensive and on edge in certain circumstances. Our bodies are wired to handle stressful and potentially dangerous situations by activating our fight-or-flight response. This response not only helps prepare us to act in situations of danger, but it can help in everyday life, too. Feeling a little anxious before a major presentation, job interview, or when a project is due can help you to focus and push through fatigue and other distractions. This is a good thing. However, like all things, when you get too much anxiety that can end up being a distraction, which can derail your focus. Anxiety can cause health problems with your immune system, cardiovascular health, and with your digestion too, to name a few. It’s important to effectively manage your anxiety so that it works for you rather than against you. Tips for how to manage anxiety well Like most things in life, getting a grip on anxiety requires using a mix of approaches to tackle the problem. Some effective ways to manage anxiety well include the following: Understand how anxiety works. To manage anxiety, it’s helpful to understand how it works. When you feel anxious, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid, your heart rate quickens and blood flow is concentrated toward your brain and your muscles, which is where you need it to face whatever challenge is before you. Your body responds physically to anxiety, and this may also include chest pain, indigestion, and fatigue. When anxiety gets intense, it may even leave you feeling nauseous and lightheaded. Knowing these symptoms of anxiety will help you understand what your body is doing and the sensations you may be experiencing. Also, it puts you in a good position when you’re trying to calm yourself, as you can target [...]

Smart and Wise Stress Eating

By Kate Motaung|June 13th, 2023|Coaching, Eating Disorders, Featured, Individual Counseling|

One of the ways we increase the level of negative stress in our bodies is through the food to which we are exposed. Forcing our bodies to absorb the harmful toxins contained in the wrong types of food by stress eating increases the amount of stress our bodies must handle. Fortunately eating is an easy way for us to deal with stress effectively. Supermarket shelves and restaurant menus will often be enjoyed by only one of our body’s organs – our tongue. But they are an increased burden on the rest of our body, reducing its ability to effectively deal with stress. Most comfort foods are made from refined flour, additives, preservatives, sugar, and hidden fats. They are marketed under a label of convenience – but this is not at all how your body experiences them. Fat chance for freedom from stress eating An easy way to damage your body is to eat more fat than your body needs or to eat the wrong kinds of fat. These prevent your body from making efficient use of carbohydrates and so increase your risk of developing diabetes. Eating too much fat increases uric acid, fat, and cholesterol levels in your blood, which all contribute to the development of gout and arthritis. A diet that is high in fat also causes you to age quickly and be more vulnerable to illnesses that make your body age quicker. What is wise stress eating? Much of it is being aware of both types of fat you need to make a conscious decision about each time they pass your lips. Namely, saturated and unsaturated fats. Milk products and meat will most often contain saturated fats, the vast majority of which will have no good use other than increasing the amount of fat you carry on [...]