Last week, Cinthia started talking about “A.N.G.E.R.”  This week, she explains the acrostic in more detail, looking at ways we know we are “doing anger well” or doing it poorly.  She then continues looking at how to manage ourselves well when family holidays are difficult or when we do not have the families and holidays we wish we did.

How do you know when your anger is a problem?  And what can you do if it is?  Anger is a normal, healthy emotion that can be of service to us, our relationships, and the world around us.  However, it can also be handled badly, and, when it is, it can be very, very dangerous.  Sometimes we don’t even recognize our anger, and it comes out in all kinds of ways.  So how can we make sure we are recognizing our anger and managing it well?  Join Cinthia for a holiday anger check-up.

It’s hard to get far in human relationships without running into the issue of need.  We need each other, but we don’t want to need each other in the wrong ways, wrong amounts, wrong times… Some of us wish we didn’t have to need other people at all!  As we continue the fresh 2021 version of Relationships 101, Cinthia reviews some concepts from recent podcasts and then explores the meanings and implications of our various dependencies in human relationships.  She finishes by taking a specific look at addictive relationships.  These are sometimes hard to define or understand, but, when you hear Cinthia describe them, you will find it easier to determine whether the characteristics resonate for you.  Join Cinthia to explore the crucial issue of dependency and find a step you can take toward improving the health of your own relationships today.

It’s hard to look at relationship behaviors without talking about family, whether families of origin or the families we have created as adults.  Our relationship behaviors are often created and regularly exhibited in our family relationships.  We may form family patterns with our spouses or children based on experiences we had as children, whether by recreating the same dynamics or by reacting against them.  While there are no perfect families and there is little value in “grading” or “judging” families simply for the purpose of criticism, there is tremendous value in considering what we have experienced so that we can respond appropriately: being grateful for the good things, grieving the losses, and learning how to create healthier patterns in the future.  Join Cinthia to consider your own experiences with family relationships and to identify ways to be more intentional with this now.

Relationships are one of the most important parts of life, but that doesn’t make them easy.  There may not be a standard textbook for dealing with people, but today Cinthia offers some basic concepts and skills to improve your relationships and relational functioning.  Whether you are struggling to learn these things for the first time or have taught them to others for years, these principles are important enough to learning, review, evaluation, and growth.  Join Cinthia for some practical how-to guidelines for dealing with yourself, other people, and life in relationship with others.

Last episode, Cinthia discussed determining our value by starting with our Creator and the value He established in us, rather than with our own history, performance, feelings, or contributions. Today, she discusses what this means for our relationships. What happens when we relate to other people based on the value God created in us and in others? What does this mean for how we treat others and how we expect them to treat us? What does it mean for how we respond when someone does not treat us appropriately?

Sometimes we fight to preserve what we think we need, only to find we are preserving what chokes the life out of us.  What in your life do you try to protect, even when God seems to be nudging you to let it go?  What are you afraid of losing, and what are you losing because you won't let go?  It might be a bad thing, or it might be something that seems so good, so right, so appropriate, except that God is saying, "Trust Me; I have something better for you."  If you are familiar with Cinthia's book God Wants You Truly Living, Not Walking Dead, you know that she has wonderful insights on this topic.  Today she presents it from a fresh perspective, focusing on what it means to let God deal with our sin instead of insisting on judging ourselves.  Join her to consider what needs to die in order for you to truly live.

Today’s episode begins with why self-care is important and then branches into the territory of ritual.  What are your self-care rituals, positive or negative?  How do your daily rituals reflect and reinforce your values?  Our rituals take our habits to another level, and they can help us or hurt us, as well as others.  What rituals will you add, subtract, or continue, and how will it impact your ability to be who you were created to be?

You were uniquely created for a specific purpose.  You can (and do, for good or for ill) make a difference in yourself and the world around you.  To fulfill this purpose and effect this change well, you are going to have to figure out how to deal with pain; pain is going to be part of your experience on earth.  Do these concepts sound simple?  Profound?  Too easy?  Too hard?  Helping people understand and apply them has been foundational to Cinthia's work for three decades, but they continue to be fresh and to find new applications.  Join her today for a new take on the classic teachings that have helped so many clients, listeners, and readers move toward being the best versions of themselves.