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 stress, as well as regulate feel-good serotonin levels to restore the imbalance that anxiety c...

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 compliment to a family member, friend, or colleague. When peopl...

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 in the future. Perhaps you still fee...

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 thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes.
8. To serve, drizzle the sauce
   ...

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. Set aside...

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 everything,” will increase your frus...

One of the human emotions basic to our existence is anger. According to Psychology Today, anger is related to the “fight, flight, or freeze” response of the sympathetic nervous system; it prepares humans to fight. But fighting doesn't necessarily mean throwing punches. It might motivate communities to combat injustice by changing laws or enforcing new norms. However, prolonged release of the stress hormones that accompany anger can destroy neurons in areas of the brain associated with judgment and short-term memory, and weaken the immune system. This doesn’t mean that we should never get angry. Anger management means we learn, recognize, cope with, and express anger in healthy and productive ways. Here are some strategies from Verywellmind to help manage your anger.

Identify Triggers

If you’ve gotten into the habit of losing your temper, take stock of the things that trigger your anger. Long lines, traffic jams, snarky comments, or excessive tiredness are just a few things that mig...

When we journal we might not immediately know what we want to write about. This is why in our RISE coaching programs we provide a guided journal to our members. It contains prompts and ideas for writing and makes journaling easy and effective.

If you’re looking to get started with journaling or need some ideas to refresh your journaling habit, here are some tips and topics from the Berkeley Wellbeing Institute to get you going.

Daily Journaling Ideas

Freewrite
Perhaps the most common journaling technique is called freewriting. When you freewrite, you just write about whatever comes to your mind. Try to keep writing even when your mind wanders off, and don't worry about grammar, spelling, or a storyline. Freewriting may be a good technique to use when doing a daily journal, at least to get the thoughts flowing and overcome the inertia of the blank page.

Write down affirmations
More relatively easy things to write in your journal are daily affirmations. Affirmations are positive stat...