Monday, September 23, 2013
Changing bad habits require focus, patience
Most of us have unhealthy habits that we would like to
change, but may not know exactly how to go about it. I have a long list of health improvements I want to
make: lose twenty pounds, stop
eating chocolate every day, be a better listener, handle stress better,
exercise 30 minutes every day —
to name just a few.
When I look at
that long list, I feel overwhelmed, so I will “practice what I preach.” I have always given the following
advice when people show me their long list of New Year’s resolutions:
• Don’t try to change too many things at once.
• Choose the most important goal and work on it first.
• Write down three specific, achievable actions you can take
towards your goal.
• Set a realistic deadline.
• Be sure to reward yourself when you have accomplished each
step toward your goal.
In that spirit, I am taking that advice in my quest to
change one thing: How I
handle stress in my life. Three specific actions I can take are:
• Learn how to
say “no.” I need to
understand my limits and stick to them.
• Set aside
relaxation time throughout the day.
• Reframe my
problems. Worrying just adds
stress, and haven’t we all found that in reality most of the things we worry about never materialize?
Authors Melinda
Smith, M.A., and Robert Segal, M.A., offer these tips to manage stress and
promote relaxation:
• Go for a walk
• Spend time in nature
• Call a good friend
• Sweat out tension with a good workout
• Write in your journal
• Take a long bath
• Light scented candles
|
• Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea
• Play with a pet
• Work in your garden
• Get a massage
• Curl up with a good book
• Listen to music
• Watch a comedy
I think everyone can use at least two of these tips to help manage the
inevitable stress we all feel.
Now that I look at my list of unhealthy habits I want to
change, most of my bad habits are related. If I eat a healthier diet, avoiding a “daily chocolate fix”
and exercise 30 minutes a day, I will be using some of the specific actions
that have been recommended for managing stress. Now to reward myself when I have accomplished each step
towards my goal, I won’t eat a piece of chocolate, but will do something I
really enjoy but don’t often have time for — read a book.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
# posted by ----------------- @ 10:23 PM 
