New Year New You - Part II

 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/

Breaking Habits

I just finished reading the book "The Power Of Habit" by Charles Duhigg and thought I would share some of the powerful take-aways I have from this book.  It feels so good continue learning and growing in life and as a therapist.  I enjoy sharing the new research findings I come across, and this book opened my eyes to many new ways of thinking about habit forming and habit breaking.  I have already found this useful in my own life, and now hope sharing this information will be helpful in leading others to this book to read for themselves.  Here are a few of the major points I found interesting from "The Power of Habit":

• The reason for habits is to help the brain function automatically whenever possible to save energy.


• You can’t just stop a habit, you have to replace it with another habit.


• The habit loop consists of the Cue/Trigger - Routine - Reward


• To break a habit, you must determine the cue and reward and then change the routine.

Example: if the cue is biting your finger nails, why are you biting your nails?  Boredom, anxiety, tension?  Once you determine the cue or trigger, what is the habit’s reward?  Physical stimulation or a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment?  Now, what could you do to relieve boredom and/or anxiety and get a similar reward?

The first step is becoming mindful and aware of your actions.  To help do this, get an index card to carry with you throughout the days for about a week. When you begin to engage in the habit (i.e. biting finger nails) make a hatch mark on the index card.  This helps build your awareness of the cue/trigger.  Once aware of the cue, try to change the habit of biting your nails to something like gently rubbing your jaw to relieve the tension or tap your fingers on a desk to produce a physical response.  This will result in a similar reward, overriding the old habit with a new one.

• For habits to permanently change, people must believe that change is possible.  Groups are helpful in building and holding onto the power of belief because each individual member of the group sees other people able to make changes, therefore realizing it is possible for them too.  Belief is easier when it occurs within a community.

Example: If you want to quit smoking, figure out a different routine that will satisfy the cravings filled by the cigarettes.  Then, find a support system, a collection of other former smokers, or a social circle free of nicotine that will be there for you when you might stumble and help you believe you can make this change.

Happy Changing Habits in the New Year 2013!

 

Kimberly Atwood is a psychotherapist in private practice in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She specializes in working with women and men in their late teens, 20’s and 30’s dealing with eating disorders, sexual and relationship issues, anxiety, life transitions and personal growth.  Please visit www.Kimberlyatwood.com for more information.