Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

New Years! Ok, so this week has mostly been about getting back into the swing of work after a nice, long break with family and friends. I spent last weekend with a number of close friends, and LOVED it! It's fun to spend an evening with friends, and even more fun to stay at their house for a long weekend! 

Favorite Quote of the Week

"The voice in your head that says you can't do this is a liar."

I found this quote on pinterest with a picture of someone running underneath it. While this quote suits fitness very well, I think it can be applied generically to each of us in any type of behavior change or dream. Let's be honest. Many of us have this tiny voice inside our head telling us that we'll fail if we try something. This voice discourages us from trying new things or  going after our dreams. Don't listen to this voice- you'll be selling your short and building your life around a lie! 

Favorite Post By Someone Else

The Proposal- Happy Tales Blog - While this doesn't have anything to do specifically with physical or mental health, Allison's recent engagement story is really cute, and it's a great read. Check it out and send her a big congrats:) 

Favorite Past Post

Are You A Champion? - A post around the quote "A champion is someone who gets up when he can't."

Favorite Search Term

• facing things head on
• happy new year from your counselor
• healthy coping mechanisms
• beer dip (delicious but definitely not nutritious!)
• stomach virus greek yogurt

Now it's your turn:

Would you consider yourself a champion? What're some of your favorites for the week? 

Establishing Mini-Steps to Attain Your Dreams

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.  ~Harrison Ford

I know that January is a natural time for people to make changes (If you don't feel ready to change something, please don't cave into the pressure though! It is better to make changes once you are prepared.), so I want to make sure to do a few posts to help you go into the behavior change with the greatest possibility of success!

Previous information about behavior change includes:

• Tracking Your Behavior Before You Change It
• A Few Considerations Before Changing Behavior

Today, let's talk about dreaming. Sometimes we fear our dreams, or feel that we have to edit them before we can say them aloud. Dreaming is good, and can lead to fantastic changes in our lives. However, I don't think it's enough to just stop at saying the dream. The dream is the end goal, but there's a lot of steps in life that get us to the end goal. It's important to set mini goals to get us to our dreams.

Here's an example:

Dream: Getting published

Mini-Goals: 

• Create list of places to be published
• Complete research on topic (could create mini-steps for this)
• Network with people in _______ field

Dream: Increase My Self Esteem

Mini-goals:

• Determine what is holding down my self-esteem
• Create list of negative self-talk & negative beliefs about self
• Engage in a practice of challenging & changing cognitive distortions
• Implement a practice of daily affirmations

Of course you'd need to determine what mini-goals would work for you, and brainstorming is certainly an important step in this process. Dreaming is GOOD, and we shouldn't be afraid of it! Don't just stop at your dream, but establish a plan to get yourself to that dream. You CAN do it, but it may take some time and hard work, so be patient!

Now it's your turn:

What are your dreams for 2012? 

Thankfulness Project Monday

The Old Year has gone.  Let the dead past bury its own dead.  The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time.  All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!  ~Edward Payson Powell

A new year is upon us, and most of us are trying to figure out (whether we make resolutions, goals, or create dreams) what we'd like this year to look like. Over the last year I have become convinced that the practice of gratitude is essential for a healthy and happy life, and I will seek to continue to implement this practice in my life. Because of that, continue expecting to see this post each Monday in 2012! It helps me to start the week on the right foot. 

Here are a few things I am grateful for on this first Monday of 2012:

• Safety: I never want to take this for granted, and I know that it can definitely be easy to forget this one. With the holidays, there are lots of people traveling, and I drove about 1,500 miles over the last two weeks. I'm thankful for safety while traveling (and that the other drivers around me were being safe as well!).
• Time with Family: This doesn't happen enough, and there are some family members I won't see for at least 5 months now. I'm grateful that my entire family made it home to my parents' house for Christmas!
• Time with Friends: I spent the last few days of 2011 and the first day of 2012 celebrating with a number of good friends whom I haven't seen in a number of months. It's hard to have friends spread out across the country, and it's always exciting to spend time with them! 
• A New Year: Sure, just because the date changes from 2011 to 2012 doesn't mean that our problems magically disappear. We wake up on January 1st in the same situation as December 31st. However, sometimes we need times that can motivate us to make a change, and for some people the start of a new year is the motivation they need to change and grow. I'm thankful for times in life that cause us to pause, think, and evaluate our lives. 
• Dreaming: It's fun to dream big dreams for our lives, and try to put practical steps in our lives to achieve those dreams. It certainly is tough work, we hit glitches, and we might want to give up. The dreams we dream can keep us going, give us motivation to endure, and create hope. Don't be afraid to dream for your life! 

Now it's your turn:

What are you feeling thankful for on this first Monday of 2012? 

2012! A Few Considerations Before Changing Behavior

HAPPY New Year! I truly can't believe that we are in 2012 already. I hope you all had a great and safe night ringing in the new year! I spent it with people I deeply care about, and had a blast celebrating. The nice thing about a new year is that it can be a new start to our life. Sure, the problems and situations we are in on December 31st don't go away magically when the ball drops, but the ball dropping can add some motivation or renewed determination to make changes.

The fact of the matter is that New Years Resolutions have become a joke for many people because they are easily dropped or abandoned. Behavior change can be tough, and successful, long term behavior change can be incredibly difficult to achieve. I'm big into setting things up right to create for yourself the biggest chance of successfully changing your behavior. Yes, it takes work, but it IS worth it.

A few things to consider:

• While there is pressure out there to make your resolutions and start on January 1st, if you don't feel prepared yet, don't start making changes! It is OK to wait until a later date to start your behavior changes.
• Making changes is significant at any date, not just January 1st!
• Think big picture dreams, and outline smaller steps to get you to your bigger goal. This will allow you to feel like you're making progress by meeting your smaller goals, and the entire picture won't be so overwhelming. 
• Track Your Behavior: Let me say it again- TRACK YOUR BEHAVIOR both before and during the behavior change. Check out the post I linked to under "track your behavior" to see some tips for doing this!
• Find a support and accountability team. There's no reason we need to change behavior completely alone. 

I'll be doing a few more follow up posts on behavior change over the next weeks, so keep an eye out for it! I'm all for making goals for the new year, and think it's a great time to reevaluate your life. Please be smart about your behavior change and set yourself up for the highest chance of success possible!

Now it's your turn:

What are your dreams for 2012? What sorts of changes would you like to see in your life? Do you set resolutions or goals for yourself?