Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 110 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Taming Your Anger

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 110 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned how to prevent our lives from becoming like garbage trucks. Today we will build on that topic and learn the 10 steps for taming your anger.

In celebration of our 100th day of our Wisdom-Trek, please check out Wisdom-Trek.com and sign up for our drawing for a free Wisdom-Trek t-shirt that will take place on October 5th.  We are giving away 7 Wisdom-Trek t-shirts.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last night we had my sister Rebecca over for our monthly get-together as we enjoyed eating a meal, talking about life, and looking through some more old pictures when we were both very young. It is great to be able to spend the time together and remember some of our past. While I am not one for living in or wishing for the past, it is good to reflect, enjoy, and learn from our past so that we can live with more significance and have a greater impact on our world.

These times of relaxing and reflection are good for everyone. Getting out in nature and going for a hike is also an excellent opportunity to relax and have meaningful conversations about life and how we deal with the pressures and issues of life.

As we break camp and head out onto the trail, the subject of anger control comes up. All of us deal with anger in our lives and the lives of others. It is an issue that we need to prepare our minds for in advance, so that we know how to handle anger issues when they are directly impacting our lives. Yesterday we talked about how to handle the situation when someone dumps their garbage or anger on us. Do you internalize it? Do you take it and and then dump it onto someone else?  Or, have you made your life a "no garbage zone?"

As a Christ follower, I attempt to allow God’s Spirit to control my actions, but even if I endeavor not to accept or allow garbage in my life, I am human and have weaknesses. And, so do you. You will find at times that garbage will seep into your world and keeping your temper in check can be challenging.

Do you fume when someone cuts you off in traffic? Does your blood pressure rocket when your child refuses to cooperate? Anger is a normal and even healthy emotion, but it's important to deal with and control it in a positive way. Uncontrolled anger can take a toll on both your health and your relationships.

If you are ready to take responsibility for controlling the anger in your life when it occurs, then following these 10 anger management tips will be useful.

1. Think before you speak.

In the heat of the moment, it's easy to say something you'll later regret. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts before saying anything, and allow others involved in the situation to do the same.

Proverbs 17:27, "A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered."

2. Once you're calm, express your anger.

As soon as you're thinking clearly, express your frustration in a confident but non-confrontational way. State your concerns and needs clearly and directly without hurting others or trying to control them.

Proverbs 25:15, "Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones." 

3. Get some exercise.

Physical activity can help reduce stress that can cause you to become angry. If you feel your anger escalating, go for a brisk walk or run or spend some time doing other enjoyable physical activities.

Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore,