Become an optimist for better health and happiness

Friends Jane and Anthony have very different ways of viewing the world. Jane is a pessimist (“the glass is half-empty”) while Anthony is an optimist (“the glass is half-full”) Let’s compare how they think about similar life experiences: Scenario 1: A bad thing happens: both lose their jobsJane is devastated, convincing herself that she is…

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Four ways to think like an optimist and improve your your health

Even as a child, James was described by teachers and his parents as a happy optimist. As the story goes, one day his parents decided to play a joke on him and test his attitude by requiring him to spend an afternoon cleaning deserted stables at what had been a local racetrack. Returning after two…

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Five tips to raise the optimistic child for better mental health

I had just completed a session with 17 year old Julie with severe depression and a firm belief that she was a total failure, she would never be able to change anything in her life, and all her shortcomings were her fault. Where, I asked myself, did such a young person acquire this negative and…

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Recognize stress before it turns into anger

After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled into his driveway. The children’s toys were scattered on the walkway to the house.He immediately began noticing slight tension in his muscles and apprehension in his stomach. Entering his house, his wife ignored him while she talked with her sister on the telephone. His heart…

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Don’t get angry – use conflict resolution skills

Guest Article by Sherry Gaba Conflict is difficult for many people. People with codependency often learn to avoid conflict due to fear of abandonment, rejection, and/or criticism. Learning conflict resolution skills makes it easier to handle conflict effectively so you learn not to fear confrontation. Often with the need to people please and receive outside validation,…

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Poor Sleep contributes to Anger

Lack of sleep intensifies anger, impairs adaptation to frustrating circumstances Losing just a couple hours of sleep at night makes you angrier, especially in frustrating situations, according to new Iowa State University research. While the results may seem intuitive, the study is one of the first to provide evidence that sleep loss causes anger. Other…

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The Anger-Damage effect on your heart: Guest blog from Dr Alan Levy

THE ANGER-DAMAGE EFFECT ON YOUR HEART Guest Article by By Alan Levy, Ph.D. How does anger do its damage and contribute to heart trouble? In this brief article, I explain the physiological and psychological mechanisms that are problematic ways of handling frustration and anger. I also present 8 helpful hints to better manage negative emotions…

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Mindfulness and Anger Management

Mindfulness and Anger Management- Guest Article We all have moments when things slow down and we are suddenly very present for life. We often have this ‘tuned in’ experience when we are in nature, or it it may happen when we are highly focused on some activity, or sometimes it occurs when we are simply…

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AngerCoach Show – Episode #9 – Managing Expectations

This months episode discusses the benefits of managing your expectations. Learn what your expectations are, where they come from and understand how the world around us influences our expectations. When we understand these things, then we can better adjust what our expectations are when it comes to our lives, our relationships, our families, our possessions…

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Gratitude Skill Important For Anger Control

Learning to respond instead of react to frustration and anger triggers is anger tool #3  in our “tool kit” of anger control strategies. An important skill to use this tool is the skill of being grateful for things in your world and in your life. It is almost impossible to be angry and grateful at…

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Federal Employees need Anger Management Too Sometimes

I recently received a referral from an employee for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS employees often face very stressful situations, depending on their job function and can find learning skills in anger management to be extremely helpful. Homeland security is one of our nations top priorities and therefore can be an equation for…

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Quick Anger Tip 19 – Raise your mood before dealing with an anger trigger

It is a known psychological fact that the level of your mood determines the perception you have of your world. In a high mood you see the best fat burner for women world one way: In a low mood, you may see the exact same thing quite differently. To better manage your anger, try to…

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Outwardly Expressed Anger AffectsSome Women’s Heart Arteries

In The Science Daily: “While previous studies have shown that anger and hostility, in and of themselves, can increase risk of heart disease in men, little of the research has included women. Results of a new study, conducted exclusively with female subjects, suggest that anger and hostility alone are not predictive for coronary artery disease…

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Spousal Anger May Shorten Life

In a recent edition of “Stress Scoop”, research shows that happily married couples are healthier and live longer, possibly because they have less stress. “…a recent study showed that even if spouses usually get along well, the stress caused by a brief argument can slow healing of a surgical wound by as much as a…

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Holiday Stress Leads to Anger

Learning to deal with stress is one of the eight tools that is needed for anger control. Learning to deal with holiday stress is even more challenging because of the time crunch around the holidays and the need to deal with relatives who might not always be exactly at the top of your Christmas list….

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Aggressive Response Triggers More Road Rage

According to new research published by the Response Insurance Company: Fully one-half of drivers who are subjected to aggressive driving behavior on the road respond with aggression of their own, thus risking a more serious confrontation. when a driver gets the finger, is cut off or tailgated, 50% of the victims respond with horn honking,…

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Anger Tip-Spend Time With Buddies

Let’s face it, your family can’t satisfy all your needs all the time. So, it’s smart anger management to indulge in a boys night out or a girls night out. You relax and unwind in different ways when you socialize with members of the same sex. You can talk more openly than you do in…

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Anger Tip- Don’t take sides

You may have noticed that your friends – or relatives – often try to enlist you on their side in conflicts they have with other people. Getting caught in the middle can be VERY stressful for you. Stay neutral, if you can, in office politics, family squabbles and interpersonal bickering. It’ll save you a world…

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The AngerCoach Show – Episode 2 Aggressive Driving & Road Rage

This month’s episode deals with aggressive driving and road rage. Aggressive driving not only endangers people’s lives, but puts immense stress on our relationships with others. We talk about practical ways individuals can reduce stress and calm down while on the road, as well as ways of mitigating road related disagreements. We host Dr. Leon…

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Anger can be NEW or OLD

One of our students found herself “going bananas” after a guest innocently left a gate open after leaving her house. Why the extreme reaction, we wondered. Turns out that she had a “history” with open gates. At age 6, her brother accidentally left a gate open which caused her favorite dog to escape and unfotunately…

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Memories Depend on Focus

We teach our anger management students that often anger is generated by arguments with someone reagrding what happened in the past. As you probably know, two people (like a parent and child, or, two siblings) may have the same experience but remember it in quite different ways. Why is this? Often we suspect that the…

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