We all get angry from time to time, it is a normal human emotion, but when your anger gets out of control and you find yourself flying off the handle too often or people are always pushing your buttons, maybe it’s time to find a better approach.

Here are some tips to practice to help control your anger:

Try deep breathing when you start to get upset, concentrate on your breath for a few minutes rather than focusing on what is making you angry.

Keep a diary of what makes you angry and track how often this occurs, what are the triggers?

Try relaxation techniques to stay at an even keel.

Try humor – it is difficult to stay angry when you see the humor in the situation.  Be careful that your “humor” is not sarcastic or passive aggressive.  This in not funny and is an expression of aggression.  Usually the sarcastic or passive aggressive person does not accept responsibility for his or herself, and projects the hostile attitude of the recipient as inappropriate, when it is actually well founded.

Mark Twain said, “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored, than to anything on which it is poured.”

If your anger is causing problems in your relationships, your job or health problems you may want to try psychotherapy, finding alternatives to anger and then substituting the alternative behavior to replace the anger.

Lack of focus, inability to sit still, fidgeting, blurting out, inability to follow instructions and restlessness – this could be a description of any child at times, but children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Activity Disorder), demonstrate these symptoms for longer periods of time. Boys are more likely to have ADHD than girls and most children are diagnosed before age 7. Three to ten percent of children will have some degree of ADHD and 60% of these children will continue to have issues as an adult.

ADHD was formerly known as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and either of these terms may be used to describe this condition. It is thought that children with ADHD have abnormal brain chemistry and the degree of severity varies with each child.

Fortunately, today there are good options for treatment to help children with ADHD. Drug therapies can be used, however, drug side effects may also occur, causing sleep disturbances, appetite suppression, lack of energy and depression. It is also felt that drugs may suppress creativity in children with ADHD.

Psychotherapy is an important part of learning to live with ADHD both for children and their parents. Children can gain a self-understanding and learn techniques to help them to focus. Parents can help by guiding the children when they become frustrated using the behavior therapies. Living with ADHD is a challenge at times, but many people have overcome these challenges by gaining self-awareness and developing the ability to cope with this condition.

Psychosomatic conditions can occur for anyone and in most cases they will occur as a result of stress, anxiety, depression or a traumatic event.

Some of the symptoms can present as headaches, stomachaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  Once physical causes have been ruled out and it is determined that mental or emotional factors are the sole cause of illness the type of somatic disorder can be established:

• Briquet’s Syndrome is defined by a long history of medical problems prior to reaching the age of 30.
• Body dysmorphic disorder is an exaggeration or obsession with a physical problem or characteristic.
• Hypochondriasis is the belief that a minor medical problem is the worst possible problem, such as the belief that a headache is a brain tumor.
• Conversion disorder are neurological symptoms, such as hearing loss, blindness, etc.

Regardless of the type of Somatic Disorder, the treatment will start with improving the symptoms and reducing the stress and counseling to cope with trauma, anxiety and depression.

How many times have you tried to lose weight?  With the holidays approaching you may be thinking of your weight loss goals and wondering how you will be able to keep from gaining weight during the holidays.

Many people have tried diet after diet, only to repeat the same mistakes.  Maybe it is time for a new approach – try changing your mindset and your way of thinking.  Earl Nightingale said “You are what you think about.” Experts say that your mind is a powerful tool and you can use it to have a breakthrough with your weight loss goals.

Try some of these approaches:

Meditation – learning to be mindful and eat mindfully can help you not only with weight loss but in other areas of your life.

Talk therapy – get to the root of why you overeat and sabotage yourself so that you can understand and change your behavior.

Hypnosis – the power of suggestion is very effective in changing behaviors.

Changing behavior is not easy, but will certainly be worth it when you finally achieve your goals.

You hear a lot of talk about women’s issues, but not so much about men’s issues. Why do you suppose that is? Well, the main reason is that women are a lot more open with their emotions and feelings, while men, on the other hand, have been taught to “man up” and not show their feelings.

We all, being human, have issues and need help at times. Some of the more common issues that men experience are:

• Keeping your emotions repressed may cause other behavior, such as avoidance or addictive behavior
• Depression and stress are common for men and women alike
• Narcissistic or antisocial behavior
• Anger and abuse issues can be overcome with help

Unfortunately, because men are not as open about their feelings, they are less likely to seek help or follow through until they are in crisis. Sometimes talking about your feelings with someone and learning ways to redirect negative behavior is helpful, while others may benefit from a support group environment where you can share experiences and encourage each other.

Self-esteem and self-confidence affect our entire lives, from relationships, our work lives, and social situations.  Most of us suffer from lack of confidence at one time or another, but self-esteem issues can be overcome with a bit of help:

• Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) helps you take the unhealthy behavior and replace it with more positive thoughts.  For example, your self-criticism may be exaggerated and Dr Rebeck can help you reframe your inferior feelings.  Perhaps you may not have failed at all, but may only have had a minor setback.
• Hypnotherapy, similar to cognitive behavior therapy, helps you to put your irrational thoughts and weaknesses into perspective and may encourage you to develop new self talk and feelings.

You don’t have to compare yourself to others, feeling that you always come up short, or be a people pleaser.  You can learn to enjoy your strengths and accept compliments.  Let success be more a part of your life.

Conflict can occur anywhere actually but as a manager you may need assistance in dealing with conflict in the workplace. Conflict that is not addressed results in low morale and employee turnover, not to mention the loss in productivity.

There are five ways of dealing with conflict:

• Accommodating – cooperating at your own expense.
• Avoiding – avoiding the issue – not the best solution for the long term.
• Collaborating – win-win, pairing up to achieve both of your goals.
• Competing – You achieve your goals at the expense of others.
• Compromise – lose-lose, each person gives up something to arrive at a compromise.

Management of conflict minimizes the negative outcomes and promotes collaboration. Embrace these opportunities and conflict will be dealt with directly and quickly.

Michael Maccoby and Tim Studder, authors of Leading in the Heat of Conflict, recommend the following ways to manage conflict:

1. Anticipate – obtain info that can lead to conflict
2. Prevent – strategies to use before conflict occurs
3. Identify – interpersonal or procedural
4. Manage – conflict is emotional
5. Resolve – react without blame and learn through dialogue.