This is true not only in public, but even inside your own home! According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, each day, more than 600 calls are received to escape family violence.
Recent domestic violence statistics reveal every 9 seconds in the U.S. a woman is assaulted or beaten, making it the leading cause of injury to women — more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.
According to The National Fathers’ Resource Center and Fathers for Equal Rights, 50 percent or more of domestic violence is perpetrated by women.
In one study on domestic violence at the University of Florida, Dr. Angela Gover, a UF criminologist, said, “We’re seeing women in relationships acting differently nowadays than we have in the past. The nature of criminality has been changing for females and this change is reflected in intimate relationships as well.”
An online article in Psychology Today about living with an angry partner, stated, “The biggest challenge of living with a resentful or angry person is to keep from becoming one yourself. The high contagion and reactivity of resentment and anger are likely to make you into someone you are not. The second biggest challenge, should you decide to stay in a relationship with a resentful or angry person is getting him or her to change.”
The article, by Steven Stosny, concluded by stating, “Because your partner cannot recover without developing greater compassion, the most compassionate thing for you to do is insist that he or she treat you with the value and respect you deserve, if you are to stay in the relationship. You are most humane when you model compassion and insist that your partner do the same.”
Management consultant Margaret J. Wheatley said, “When we can lay down our fear and anger and choose responses other than aggression, we create the conditions for bringing out the best in us humans.”
Who better could advise an angry world on how to “create the conditions for bringing out the best in us humans” than the Creator Himself?
To survive an angry world, millions of people start the day and end their night by approaching God in prayer and asking for guidance, direction and peace.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” — Contemporary English Version.
Have you kept praying for this peace from God that excels all thought? Ask God to help you act in harmony with your prayers. Then too, why not turn the odds in your favor by supplementing your prayers with a few tips on controlling anger? Here are a few anger management tips from mayoclinic.com:
1: Take a timeout: Before reacting to a tense situation, take a few moments to breathe deeply and count to 10. Slowing down can help defuse your temper. If necessary, take a break from the person or situation until your frustration subsides a bit.
2: Get some exercise: If you feel your anger escalating, go for a brisk walk or run, or spend some time doing other favorite physical activities. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that can leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out.
3: 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 in the situation to do the same.
4: Identify possible solutions: Instead of focusing on what made you mad, work on resolving the issue at hand. Remind yourself that anger won’t fix anything, and might only make it worse.
5: Use humor to release tension: Lightening up can help diffuse tension. Don’t use sarcasm, though — it can hurt feelings and make things worse.
6: Practice relaxation skills: When your temper flares, practice deep-breathing exercises. You might also listen to music, write in a journal — whatever it takes to encourage relaxation.
7: Know when to seek help: Consider seeking help for anger issues if your anger seems out of control, causes you to do things you regret or hurts those around you.
Yes. We live in an angry world. It’s all around us. But the world does not have to take over the serenity inside of us. As 1Corinthians 7:15 says, “God hath called us to peace.”
*For a copy of The Little White Book of Light featuring more than 100 Wright Way columns, visit barnesandnoble.com, booksamillion.com and amazon.com.
