3 Simple Ways to Change Your Behavior and Take Control of Your Life

The French philosopher, Henri Bergson, once said that, "To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly."

Change is unavoidable, continuous, and is occurring all the time. 

Our country changes, our city changes, our neighborhood changes, our family changes, and we as individuals change. Sometimes it may not be perceptible by someone on the outside.

But, we know ourselves better than anyone else when we have changed. 

Our political views may have changed, our attitudes may have changed, our appearances may have changed, and even our faculties may have changed.

The term change itself has an even deeper significant when it is in reference to a change in behavior that represents coming to a fork in the road and having to choose one direction or another. If you're dissatisfied with your present state and want to change, that is significant. 

If you are dissatisfied with your career; if you're dissatisfied with your marriage or other important relationships; if you're dissatisfied with your lifestyle; or if you're dissatisfied with your career; a major change may be necessary. A desire to change and a willingness to do so is essential. No one can change you or your situation. It has to begin with you. It has to begin inside.

1. Some people continue to change jobs, mate, and friends, but never think of changing themselves. Don't become that person. If you feel that you are stuck in a rut and is seriously desirous of making a change in your life, don't hesitate to seek professional help. 

If you don't have a close friend who has your best interest at heart, then find a therapist that you can trust and establish a good working relationship with that particular person. 

2. Be willing to take your therapist's recommendations seriously. Just talking about your problem will not bring about the change you need. You must be willing to do homework between the sessions and talk about your efforts and experiences when you return to the session. Most people do not change because willingness to make the effort is lacking.

3. Think about change as taking control your life. Get off of the roller coaster ride where you are allowing others to affect your emotional level by what they say or do. It is about making the decision to become that person you want to be, to begin taking the necessary steps in that direction, and to resolve to continue to grow the rest of your life

 
You may also like Take Control of Your Life with Lifestyle Changes. Let me know your thoughts. Leave your comments below.

Learn the 7 Ways for Healthy Living and Aging

The aging population in the US is growing larger and living longer. While it is worthwhile to live to a ripe old age, it is even more gratifying if you are aging in a healthy way.

What you habitually do everyday has a significant bearing on healthy aging as opposed to being old and sickly.

In my view, there are 7 Ways for Healthy Living and Aging that you should acquire if you don't have them already.

1. Get a good night's sleep every night. It can be as little as six hours. But, it should be one in which the lights are turned off with the full intention of sleeping and feeling relaxed in the morning,

2. Acquire and maintain a few friends with whom you can share good conversation, enjoy going to events, dinner, etc and giving each other mutual support.

3. Keep the mind active. Find a mental activity that is absorbing and gratifying. It can be learning a new skill, regularly surfing the internet for new learning experiences and the like.

4. Get daily exercise. If you can't join a YMCA or a health club, get an exercise bike and some weights and work out for at least 3 to 5 minutes a day and walk regularly.

5. Eat a balanced diet. It is not necessary to eat three meals a day. Two meals will suffice. However, if you do choose to eat three meals, make them light and nutritious.

6. Control your thinking. Your mind can easily drift into a pattern of thinking that can make you sad and depressed if you are not careful. Think constructive thoughts -- thoughts that are optimistic and forward looking.

7. Go to the doctor less frequently unless you have an illness that need to be monitored. Most doctors are trained to prescribe medications for any type of illnesses, real or imagined, and tests can sometimes give you false positives. 

Study to get to know your own body. Recognize symptoms that can be the precursors to a real illness. Then, when you go to the doctor, tell him specifically what your concerns are. Try not to get addicted to any type of medication.

Acquiring and maintaining these habits will be a great help in assuring a long and healthy life. If you don't already have a lifestyle based on these habits, reread this, and begin integrating these habits into your life. 

Remember any specific action repeated daily and consistently for at least 21 days will become a habit. Do this and acquire good habits.


Have you tried to change any habits lately? Leave your comments below

Take Control of Your Destiny by Breaking Bad Habits

To take control of your life, recognize that habits are response patterns to situations. 

If you are a smoker, you reach for a cigarette when the coffee is served, but not during the soup. 

You don't smoke or even want to in church, in the theater, in a courtroom, or in other places where no one usually smokes. 

Given the right circumstances you will light up.

In order to break a habit, then, you must recognize that you must deal with the source of satisfaction - that is, you must want to change your ways and give up the real or imagined benefits; you must be aware of what you are doing, and, you must take in account the situation that had become associated with the habit.

A number of methods for habit breaking have been proposed by therapists working from different points of views. 

Here I will review some of them and recommend the one that I believe is the most effective.

One method for habit breaking is through negative practice. 
This is deliberately repeating a habit over and over again until you are totally bored with it. This method can be used when you seem to be unaware of when or why you are doing something. 

This procedure calls attention to the situation involved, which makes them recognizable so that preventive action can be taken.

Another method that can be used is the tapering off method. 
This is a long-term process and works only if you are seriously interested in breaking the habit. If the habit is related to a life-threatening disease such as cancer or heart disease your motivation to break the habit can be significantly strong enough so that nothing else may be needed.

Still, another method is to quit cold turkey.  
You may experience significant stress with this approach or you may perhaps experience some joy out of being able to make such a complete break. 

This is not a method, but a decision that you make and are willing to stick with despite the potential discomfort that you will experience.

Finally, in my judgment the best way to break any habit is to follow the five main components of the habit reversal method:

1. Recognize that the habit is a strong or persistent urge that is not rooted in deeper psychological problems.
2. Keep precise record of urges and count the number of times that you actually succumb to them.
3. Develop an awareness of the chain of events that leads to or results in the unwanted behavior.
4. Learn relaxation method as a means of combating the urges.
5. And, substitute a response that incompatible with the unwanted behaviors.

If you really desire to quit any habit and take control of your life, these five easy step process really works.


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