Reducing Anger

Reducing your anger is not an easy process. Here are some practical ideas of ways to deal with your anger.

* Call a friend or write in a journal. Cindy says, "I've got a whole journal of awful things I have felt and thought. That helped."

* Monitor your negative words and attitudes. "I had one person who called his ex-spouse the dictator," says Dr. Les Carter, "and I said, 'Every time you refer to her in that negative way, it just keeps the anger alive a little bit more.' You need to let go of little things like that."

* Read the Bible. "Every minute I could I was reading the Bible, and there was a peace that started coming about," says Sherry.

* Be thankful for what is good in your life. "I knew that God was saying, 'You can be angry at what happened, but the rest of your life is pretty good. You've got a lot to be thankful for,'" says Cindy.

* Have an accountability partner. Dr. Les Carter says, "Share what you're feeling so you can learn to get beyond it. Express the areas you need to forgive. Share the things you need to accept that aren't going to change. As you talk openly, you tend to take ownership of the solutions you're discussing."

"I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing" (1 Timothy 2:8).