New Year New You - Part II
Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 11:11AM 
Let's continue to talk about ways to feel better in 2015:
3. Be grateful. Start focusing on the positive more than the negative. As human beings, we are naturally more focused on the negative because this is a big part of what keeps us alive. Our brains are wired and programmed to find the negative and try to fix it. Being aware that this is a main job of our brain helps us take notice of it more and more each day.
It takes a bit of effort to focus more attention on the positive and try not to let it all just slip through our fingers like water. Do your best each day to hold onto the positive aspects of your life and shine a ray of light on each and every one of them. One way to start this is to write a gratitude journal – write down 5 things each day that brought you joy or made you thankful. They can be simple and mundane occurrences throughout your day.
4. Eliminate sugary drinks. I am not asking you to eliminate sugar altogether, just sugary drinks because they are the most influential on your insulin production and demanding on your pancreas. In other words, sugary drinks seem to be a leading cause of obesity and diabetes. These drinks include anything with sugar in the ingredient list, like sodas, sports drinks, and fruit juices.
Try not to switch to diet drinks because studies have shown that the fake sugars tend to make you desire more sweets in your daily intake. Try it for yourself and notice if you crave more sugary items when drinking diet drinks – I did. These fake sugars also seem to confuse the body because they are not natural.
Again, similar to cutting back on caffeine, you may not want to eliminate sugary drinks all at once. You may be more successful cutting back to having one soda a few days per week, rather than a soda everyday. Then, drink only one soda per week and so forth. Try to make your goals attainable so you are successful.
5. Drink Water. Many people drink sugary drinks as if it is water, but it is not water. Drink more good-old-fashioned H2O for hydration. Increasing your consumption of water will likely increase your energy level and your metabolism. Try it out and notice if you feel differently after a week or so.
If you are aiming to lose weight, this is also an excellent way to aid in weight loss. When we binge or emotionally eat, we are often just thirsty and in need of hydration. If you can slow down and drink a glass of water before reaching for that bag of chips or cookies, you might realize you do not want food at all and are satisfied with the water.
Many of the ideas for this 'New Year, New You' segment were stimulated by reading John Ratey and Richard Manning's new book entitled, "Go Wild: Free Your Body and Mind From the Afflictions of Civilization." If you are up for a good read during these cold winter months, I recommend highly recommend this one.
Kimberly Atwood is a psychotherapist in private practice in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She specializes in working primarily with women in their 20’s and 30’s dealing with eating disorders, sexual and relationship issues, anxiety, life transitions and personal growth. Visit my 'Finding Your Voice' blog at https://kimberlyatwood.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/new-year-new-your-part-ii/