Committment in the New Year

So as the new year begins people think a lot about ways to improve the upcoming year. Many think of ways they might want to get healthier. Thinking of these ways to be healthier is great but just thinking or even saying what on emight want to do is NOT enough.

Many people start out the year with wonderful intentions that over time fall by the wayside. There are a few approaches and facts that might help people make sure that individuals are able to follow through and keep improving year after year.

As people experience life they can learn. It is the learning that promotes making positive changes and improvements in order to live a better healthier life.

So if people be sure that their ideas are reasonable and doable is a good start. They need to be measurable, specific, and concrete. Not to many and not to major. Big changes must occur with a plan and over time to be successful.

Then they need to write down their goals and be sure they file them in a place where they can utilize them for motivation. But the most important thing is mental commitment!

Be sure you are mentally committed if you plan to succeed.
Commitment involves 100% determination and ongoing daily reminders and choices to make changes and improve.

So commit to your health!

Concerned about fantasy vs lying

Parents will ask about children telling stories. Parents are concerned that a child who tells untrue stories about events might be learning that saying things that are not true is ok.

Remember behaviors are part of a child's psychological health. Psychological health incorporates both genetics and learning. Children usually should have begun to develop logic by age 7 ish. Brain development, as well as social development, and other learning, are their reason for saying things or making up things, but each child is unique. Development is individualized. There is a range of approximate age when children begin to understand the difference between real and fantasy. Parents should give thought to other examples regarding their child's demonstration of this ability to know the difference. http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/piaget.shtml

Empathy is learned therefore can begin at a very early age yet pragmatic and social experiences seem to be more conscious starting around age 3. Again learned behaviors are individualized for many reasons. There are many factors which affect learned experiences. Parents of course play a significant role in teaching empathy. Remember, giving children information in a positive way will be most effective to promote children to be receptive and responsive to the information. http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/how-children-develop-empathy/

Another important consideration is motive. What is the child's objective. If he or she is having fun, being creative, or demonstrating healthy harmless fantasies..fine, but if children are learning to use fibs (nice word for lying) to manipulate, create confusion, be harmful, or avoid taking responsibility for an inappropriate behavior then parents must address the situation with implementation of appropriate consequences in order to teach children that telling the truth is important for many reason and that lying can and probably will cause them to lose many privileges in life.

Remember as always, learn about child development from reputable sources. And for more information you should always contact a child behavioral expert.

Happy parenting!

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a virtue and a healthy mindset as well as a healthy behavior. The interesting aspect is that forgiveness is much more healing for the forgiver than it is for the perpetrator/offender.

A little forgiveness eases the stress and reduces the energy required for remaining angry. Staying angry inhibits the ability to think positively. There are many cognitive distortions that people are accustomed and conditioned to utilize in order to maintain unhealthy ways of thinking. Staying angry requires lots of these distortions all at once.

Imagine of individuals channeled all that same energy and effort into being positive, kind, happy, healthy, and productive.??

Another note on communication skills

If people would learn to express their feelings respectfully and accurately on a regular basis, then other would probably be more receptive and responsive to to them.

Generally individuals are simply emotionally reactive without conscious thought. They say and do things because of how something makes them feel, instead of being a critical thinker and making sure they have all the information about the situation or the person. The react before they take the time to consider all possible causes of someone actions or comments.

Also when expressing feelings people more often then not simply state something about someone else. They begin too many sentences with "you" instead of "I".

Many people could benefit tremendously from improving their communication skills.

Loneliness

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34209727/ns/health-behavior/

Learn more!

It does not matter what you want to do...learning more will be helpful. The more you learn about any interesting topic, hobby, activity, career, etc. etc. you will benefit and be better prepared.

You will be able to make informed decisions and better choices for yourself, when you are educated about any topic that is of interest to you.

So...are you interested in being healthy and happy? Are you interested in learning about how and why you think, feel and behave as you do?

Would you be interested in improving your communication skills and interactions with others?

earn about you mind ! There is plenty to learn.

Expectations/should systems

Individuals often have expectations about how others should think, feel and behave. Yes it is important to have standards for yourself and even others the problem occurs when people allow the behavior of others to cause stress or negativity in their lives. It is not productive to allow other peoples thoughts, feelings or behavior to cause you stress. It is productive and healthy to decide what you want to do in response or in reaction to others thoughts, feelings, or behavior.

So if you want to be healthier, there are a few things you can do. You can either gain a better understanding of why people are thinking, feeling, or behaving as they are when it does not meet your expectations, and often with more knowledge you will probably be less stressed. You could change your expectations. You can plan on being proactive and taking positive productive action in response to whatever is causing you stress. Or you can choose to not allow yourself to get stressed about things you cannot change, just accept it! You actually have lots of options rather than just being stressed! You must develop skills for having appropriate expectations.