Contrary to popular belief, venting our frustrations in an overtly aggressive or hostile way -- whether by puncturing a pillow with a knife, punching a wall, or screaming at your neighbor -- doesn't help us feel better. If anything, it has the opposite effect. Studies have found we feel even more upset after doing these things. Engaging in aggressive or destructive behaviors when we're upset not only adversely endangers our well-being, but it potentially puts others at risk. Some people have been known to get wasted and drive erratically after some disappointing event, whether it's a fight with their boss that ultimately led to their being fired or having their partner break up with them unexpectedly. You can only imagine how terrible the consequences of such reckless acts. Once it has all passed, we experience a host of emotions ranging from regret to shame. Instead of reaching for a knife or bottle, there are other things we can do to channel our anger in more constru...

The Thanksgiving tradition stretches all the way back to the early days of the republic, when George Washington was at the helm of the fledgling nation. Following a resolution of Congress, President Washington proclaimed Thursday the 26th of November 1789 a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” Reflecting American religious practice, Presidents and Congresses regularly designated days of fasting and thanksgiving through the the mid-1800s. But the Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate every November was formally established by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and made into law by Congress in 1941, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office. I think everyone should be thankful for their blessings each day of the year, not just on the fourth Thursday of November. We often get so caught up in work and other responsibilities that we neglect to focus ...