Emotional wellness is knowing, understanding, and accepting the gamut of feelings we have and managing them effectively. One way of improving our emotional health is by understanding ourselves better. According to Psychology Today, we need to discover how and why our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors work. “Relationships either sustain us or destroy us, wreaking distress or creating joy as we move through our lives. Our first task is to figure out how our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors work within us. Then we can apply the same task to understanding how we relate or don’t relate with others in beneficial ways.” Psychology Today recommends asking the following questions:

Behaviors
Here are some examples of behavior scenarios that we can work on understanding:

• Why do you pout, go into your room, and slam the door when someone disagrees with you?
• Why do you behave rudely knowing it upsets people?
• Why do you try and do what others want when it may harm you?
• Why are...

Ingredients:

•  1 pound bison (such as New York strip steak), cut across the grain in -inch thick slices (grass-fed or pasture-raised if possible)
• ¼ cup tamari, divided
• ¼ cup avocado oil, divided
• ½ large yellow onion, diced in 1-inch cubes
• 1 large bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces, green and white parts separated
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 cups snow peas, ends removed
• 2 cups cauliflower rice
• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
• Scallions for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Combine the sliced bison and tamari in a mixing bowl and allow it to marinate while preparing the ingredients.

3. Once the pan is hot, add half of the oil, the onions, and the white parts of the bok choy. Sauté for 2 minutes.

4. Once the onions begin to brown, add the bell peppers and continue to sauté for another minute.

5. Add the snow peas and...

Whether you’re a newbie or veteran at exercising, you’ll need to watch out for exercise mistakes that impact your workout’s effectiveness. Health expert JJ Virgin shares the top five to look out for and what to do about it.

1. Overdoing Cardio and Neglecting Strength Training
Like acid-washed jeans and bleached hair, the cardio-obsessed 80s have faded away. Yet even today, I see folks trudging on the treadmill, usually thumbing through a magazine or catching up on Real Housewives on that little TV screen. I want to gently guide these folks into the weight room. Strength training does so many things, including boosting metabolism, increasing bone density, and steadying blood-sugar levels.

As you get older, muscle becomes critical: once you turn 30, muscle mass begins to decrease about 3-8% every decade. After 60, that loss becomes even higher. During prolonged periods of cardio, your body may start breaking down muscle tissue for energy. Some types, including...

Last week we learned about strategies to deal with anxiety. But did you know that food can also help with alleviating anxiety? When we experience chronic stress and anxiety, it causes our bodies to react and create chronic inflammation. Gastrointestinal problems increase and our immune system goes into overdrive making it harder to fight an infection. Taking the right food can be part of our defense against the effects of stress and anxiety. Health expert JJ Virgin shares with us some of the top foods that can help do this.

1. Ginger
In the context of mental health, ginger is a great go-to for managing nausea if you’re experiencing anxiety that’s creating an upset stomach.It also has anti-inflammatory effects, helping reduce the increased inflammation that anxiety and stress can bring on. Plus, studies in animals have found that ginger can protect the brain against anxiety-related oxidative...

These days the world tells us to look out for our own interests. But did you know that putting other people’s interests first has many health benefits? Being kind is actually good for us and not just for the one who benefits from our kindness. Psychology Today lists some of the side effects of being kind and sincere:

1. Acting kindly makes us feel good.
It feels wonderful to do something useful for someone. The “helper's high” is the uplifting feeling that we experience after doing an act of kindness to others. The “helper’s high” shows up in our brain’s reward system. The experience is like consuming a piece of chocolate cake or having a pleasant surprise. It feels so good that the brain motivates us to do them again and again. As the proverb goes, it’s better to give than to receive. It makes you feel like your life is valuable.

2. Kindness is contagious.
Kind acts can have a ripple effect—for example, giving a genuine...

Tense, nervous, unable to relax, restless, sweating, shortness of breath, sense of dread, unable to sleep - these are just some of the symptoms of having anxiety. Life is uncertain and some events or situations can bring up feelings of anxiety. Remember when the pandemic started? It felt like the whole world was having a panic attack. Unfortunately, anxiety can have cognitive, emotional and physical effects. It’s not just something that’s happening in your mind. It affects your overall health. That’s why it’s important for us to learn how to deal with anxiety before it gets worse. Here are some strategies from Verywellmind that you can do to help you cope better when things get nerve-wracking.

Stop and Breathe
When anxiety flares, take a time-out and think about what it is that is making you feel nervous. Anxiety is typically experienced as worrying about a future or past event. For example, you may be worried that something bad is going to happen...

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed, 32 oz total
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 scallion, green only sliced for garnish

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl combine the balsamic, soy sauce, honey, garlic, sriracha and ginger and mix well.
2. Pour half of the marinade (1/4 cup) into a large bowl with the chicken, covering all the meat and marinate at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
3. Reserve the remaining sauce for later.
4. Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and transfer to the air fryer basket.
6. Cook in batches 14 minutes, turning halfway until cooked through in the center.
7. Meanwhile, place the remaining sauce in a small pot and cook over medium-low heat until it reduces slightly and...

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces kelp noodles
• 1 tablespoon dry wakame seaweed
• 1 tablespoon avocado mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce, unsweetened
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, divided
• 4 ounces sushi-grade salmon, skinless
• 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds
• ¼ large avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium tamari
• Pickled ginger, unsweetened (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add the kelp noodles along with enough room temperature filtered water to cover the noodles. Repeat in a separate bowl with the seaweed and allow each to soak for at least 10 minutes while preparing the remaining components.

2. Mix the avocado mayonnaise, hot sauce, sesame oil, and half of the sesame seeds into a large bowl. If you’d prefer to avoid totally raw salmon, sear each side for a couple minutes over medium-high heat before continuing to the next step

3. Cut the salmon into bite-sized pieces and stir together with the spicy mayonnaise....

In the first part of this series, we shared 5 helpful anger management strategies. Today we’ll continue learning other ways to help manage anger. We hope this series will help in identifying ways to manage anger and pave the way for better relationships and better overall health.

Get in a Quick Workout
Anger gives you a rush of energy. One of the best anger management exercises is quite literally to exercise and engage in physical activity. Whether you go for a brisk walk or hit the gym, working out can burn off extra tension.

Regular exercise also helps you decompress. Aerobic activity reduces stress, which might help improve your frustration tolerance. Additionally, exercise allows you to clear your mind. You may find that after a long run or a hard workout you have a clearer perspective on what was troubling you.

Focus on the Facts
Angry thoughts add fuel to your anger. Thinking things like, “I can’t stand it. This traffic jam is going to ruin...