“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.” ― Edith Lovejoy Pierce | |
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This annual word-of-the-year exercise can help you reflect on your values, intentions and hopes for the new year. Think of it as the anti-resolution resolution.
Instead of setting a specific goal, choose a word that captures the mind-set you want to adopt in 2024 — a word that will nudge you toward positive change whenever you think of it.
To better understand the word-of-the-year exercise, it helps to know what it is not. It should not be a broad resolution (exercise more), a specific action (lose 20 pounds) or a goal (save more money).
Instead, choose a single word that reflects how you want to live in 2024. So how do you pick a word of the year? Here are some tips.
- Write down the things that made you happy this year. What felt good? What do you get excited about? What would it take to feel this way all the time?
- Next, think about what parts of your life could be better. What causes you stress? Are you thriving or feeling bored? Do you wake up excited about your day? What’s happening in your relationships?
- Finally, check in with your body. How is your physical health? How is your mental well-being? How do you feel when you look in the mirror?
Your word should reflect your values and intentions, your vision for what well-being means to you and the areas of your life that need attention.
Here’s a sampling of words to get you started.
Words of reflection: awareness, awe, breathe, pause, reset, gratitude, resilience, optimism, focus
Words of change: reset, renew, nourish, energize, growth, recharge, evolve, bloom, adventure, travel
Words of connection: relate, reconnect, experience, balance, engage, cherish, comfort, listen
Last year, my nudge word was growth, which I chose because I felt a bit stuck. At the time I chose it, I had no real plans for change, but as I opened my mind to what it means to grow, I suddenly started seeing opportunities all around me. I asked myself on a daily basis: Will this be a growth experience?
As you are mulling what word to pick, chances are your mind will cycle through a few words that resonate with you. You always have the option of picking more than one word, but personally I like the focus of choosing a single word to reflect my vision for the year.
And remember, the real value of the word-of-the-year exercise is the thinking that goes into choosing it. Take your time. Try a few words on for size and settle on the one that will help you focus on the things that are most meaningful to you
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Getting started is always the hardest part. If you’ve been physically inactive for a while, it’s hard to begin an exercise routine. The gym can be an intimidating place if you don’t know your way around. Where do you start if you haven’t done a crunch or walked more than the distance from your car to your desk at work?
Get started with a new fitness routine with these ten tips to keep you focus and comfortable:
1. Start slowly. Your level of fitness during your senior year of high school is still fresh in your mind. You could lift 200 pounds over your head, do the splits, run a 6-minute mile, and still have energy left for the dance after the football game. However, you’re (probably) not 18 anymore.
Perform workouts that match your current physical condition. Hurting yourself is the fastest way to ensure that you never get in shape.
2. Stress yourself, but not too much. The perfect workout will stress your body enough that it must adapt, but not so much that your recovery time is lengthened or you hurt yourself.
There’s great news: you don’t need to do much at first to see real results if you’ve been switching back and forth between sitting at a desk and sitting on the couch. A short walk on the treadmill will provide a lot of benefit. If you haven’t done a push up in 20 years, doing pushups against the wall is enough.
Enjoy the advantages of being a beginner. You can get more results from 10 minutes of easy exercise than a highly fit person can get from 90 minutes of hard work.
3. It’s all about consistency. A mild, daily workout will do more for your fitness than one hard workout each week. Instead of focusing on your effort, focus on making it to the gym regularly.
4. What you eat is important. Assuming you want to lose weight, what you eat is far more important than the exercise you perform. It’s easy to eat more calories in an hour than a professional athlete can burn off in three hours. Pushing yourself away from the table might be the best form of exercise.
5. Find a workout buddy. It’s not easy to make it to the gym or to put on your running shoes each day. Knowing that someone else is counting on you increases your compliance.
6. Use a trainer. Get some professional guidance if you’ve never exercised before. Learn effective techniques and have your coach design an intelligent program for you. A personal trainer can also keep you accountable.
7. Keep it simple. A few exercises are enough to provide all the benefits you’ll ever need. The basics never go out of style.
8. Make it fun. Love basketball? Join a basketball league. Find a form of exercise that you enjoy. Unless you’re training for a bodybuilding contest, there are many forms of exercise that can fit the bill of increasing your fitness. Group fitness classes are a great way to get fit while having fun.
9. Be well-rounded. Flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, and strength are all important, especially as you age. If all you do is run, your flexibility and strength will suffer. Ensure that you’re hitting these three areas of concern.
10. Focus on progress. Just a little bit of progress each week can keep your motivation high. Enjoy the fact that beginners make great progress!
Get excited and start on a new exercise routine today. A pair of walking shoes and a set of exercise bands are enough to get started. Get some expert advice for an effective plan. Take your time and enjoy the journey
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A journal can be a trusted companion that helps you reflect on your thoughts, feelings, actions, decisions, and relationships. Research shows that journaling is linked to better planning, lower stress, and better physical and mental health.
Whether you write in your journal regularly or you’re just getting started, you might sometimes find yourself staring at a blank page and wondering what to write. If you’re at a loss for words, a journal prompt can come to the rescue.
Journal prompts are suggestions, ideas, or questions that can help guide and inspire your journal entries, says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University.
“Prompts are typically themes to reflect on or questions that are meant to motivate you to think deeper about something,” Dr. Romanoff adds.
In this article, we suggest some journal prompts that can spark your creativity. We also ask the expert for some strategies that can help you create your own journal prompts.
Benefits of Using Journal Prompts
Prompted journaling, also known as guided journaling, offers several benefits:
- Starting point: If you’ve never tried journaling before or if you’re experiencing writer’s block, journal prompts can help you get started.
- Direction: Prompts can provide direction to your writing, says Dr. Romanoff. By focusing on a specific topic or question, you can explore your thoughts and feelings around it.
- Structure: Sometimes, you might prefer to write down your thoughts freely as they occur. However, there may be times when you want to organize your thoughts more coherently. Journal prompts can provide the structure you need to organize your thoughts.
- Creativity: Using different journal prompts can introduce variety to your journaling experience. It can encourage you to think more creatively and approach things from different angles.
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Insight: Journal prompts can provide topics or themes that help you explore fresh perspectives and new dimensions of yourself, says Dr. Romanoff. This process can help you discover personal insights and promote greater self-awareness.
- Consistency: Having a prompt to guide each journaling session can encourage you to maintain a regular journaling practice. The prompts can make journaling feel like a purposeful and engaging activity, which may help you be more consistent with it.
How to Use Journal Prompts
These are some strategies that can help you use journal prompts:
- Find prompts that inspire you: Dr. Romanoff suggests making a list of prompts that you find inspiring or motivating—you can come up with your own, buy a journal with prompts, or look online for examples.
- Decide your frequency: It can be helpful to set a frequency for journaling, such as daily, weekly, monthly or at any other interval that works for you. You can use prompts every time you journal or just when you’re feeling stagnant and craving inspiration or motivation for your journaling session, says Dr. Romanoff.
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Keep an open mind: Approach prompted journaling with an open mind. Reflect on the prompt and explore where it takes you. You can write as much or as little as you like.
- Get creative: Don’t be afraid to get creative with your responses or limit yourself only to words. You can even pen down your thoughts and feelings in the form of drawings or poetry, if you prefer.
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Be honest and authentic: Honesty is key to getting the most out of journaling. Write from the heart and don't be afraid to express your true feelings, even if they are complex or challenging.
- Reflect on your responses: After you've written your responses, take a moment to reflect on what you've written. Consider how your thoughts and emotions have evolved over the course of writing them down.
Journal Prompts You Can Try
These are some journal prompts that can help you get started.
Self-Discovery Prompts
Self-discovery prompts can help you self-reflect and get to know yourself better. Greater self-awareness is linked to improved emotional intelligence.2
These are some journal prompts that can enable self-discovery:
- First, list five words that best describe you. Then, think about which five words you would like to describe yourself.
- Complete this sentence: “My life would be incomplete without….”
- Reflect on a phrase, quote, or mantra that resonates with you. Explain why it’s significant to you.
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Make a list of the things in your life that you’re most grateful for.
- Explain what you do best.
- Reflect on the qualities that you value most in others.
- Share three things that made you smile today.
- List your best and worst habits.
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Write down three life lessons you’ve learned.
- Explain what love means to you.
- Describe the values that are most important to you and consider whether your actions align with them.
- Think about what you would do with your life if you had unlimited resources and explain why.
- Describe what is stressing you out and how you’re coping with it.
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Write about your biggest regret and what you would do differently in hindsight.
- Identify and label the fears and insecurities that are holding you back right now.
Personal Growth Prompts
These are some journal prompts that can encourage personal growth:
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What are three short-term goals you would like to achieve within the next three months?
- What are three long-term goals you would like to achieve within the next five years?
- Which skill would you like to cultivate in yourself?
- Which qualities do you admire most in others that you would like to develop in yourself?
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Which areas of your life would benefit from more self-discipline?
- What is your worst habit and how would you change it?
- What’s something new you would like to try?
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What habit do you want to add to your daily routine?
- What would you like to contribute to your community?
- What is the biggest challenge you’re dealing with right now?
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What is the biggest failure you’ve ever faced and what have you learned from it?
- How would you like to be remembered by others?
- How can you better support your loved ones?
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What boundaries would you like to set in your relationships to protect yourself?
Mindfulness Prompts
Mindfulness prompts can help you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, senses, and surroundings. Being more mindful can help you be more intentional and purposeful in the way you live your life.3
These are some journal prompts that can support greater mindfulness:
- Describe a meal you ate today. What colors, textures, tastes, and feelings did you experience?
- Pick an everyday object from your surroundings, like a plant or a pencil. Write a detailed description of it as if you've never seen it before.
- Focus on a sound in the background, such as the ticking of a clock or the rustling of the breeze. Describe the sound and its impact on you.
- Close your eyes for a minute and pay attention to your breath. When you open your eyes, write down what it felt like.
- Describe your ideal day from morning to night. What activities, people, and experiences would be part of it?
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Reflect on your thoughts without judgment. Identify and describe any feelings you're experiencing in the present moment.
- Write about a recent interaction with someone. What were their words, expressions, and gestures? How did you feel during the interaction?
- Think back to a moment of happiness you experienced recently. Relive the sensations, thoughts, and emotions associated with it.
- Think about the place where you feel most at peace. What makes it special to you?
- Recall a time when you were worrying about something in the future. How did it affect your present moment and what would you have done differently?
Creativity Prompts
These are some journal prompts that can spark creativity:
- Write a letter to your favorite fictional character, describing your life to them.
- Make a list of questions you would like to ask a future version of yourself.
- Think about your favorite word or phrase. Explain why you love it.
- Choose a random object from your surroundings. What qualities do you have in common with it?
- Make a list of ten unusual ways to use a common household item. Get creative and think outside the box.
- Write a conversation between two inanimate objects, giving them personalities and voices.
- Invent a gadget that would make your life more efficient or interesting.
- Choose a word from a foreign language that doesn't have a direct English translation. Describe the last time you encountered or experienced it.
- Imagine you get the chance to be any animal for a day. Which animal would you pick and what would you do?
- Invent a new holiday and outline the traditions, celebrations, and rituals associated with it, based on your values.
- If you have a time machine and you can go anywhere in the past or future, where would you go and what would you do there?
How Do You Come Up With a Journal Prompt?
These are some strategies that can help you come up with your own journal prompts:
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Decide your goals: First, consider what your goal of journaling is and then work backwards to find ways to achieve that goal, says Dr. Romanoff. For instance, she says gratitude, relationships, learning, self-growth, or creativity are goals that you might want to pursue.
- Find prompts that align with your goals: Write down a few prompts that resonate with you and align with your current goals, interests, or areas of focus. You can add more or tweak them as you go along.
- Mix and match different prompts: Feel free to mix and match prompts from different sources or create your own variations. Experiment with different types of prompts to keep your journaling practice engaging and varied.
- Build on existing prompts: If a prompt leads you to new insights or questions, consider exploring those ideas in subsequent journal entries. You can use your initial response as a springboard for deeper exploration.
How to Journal to Build Mental Strength
Conclusion
Journaling can be a form of self-care, a way to connect with yourself, or a creative exercise.
If you enjoy journaling, having prompts can help guide your thoughts and focus your attention in a specific direction. Having a new journal prompt to work on every time you’re in the mood to journal can be exciting, comforting, and even a little scary. Just think of each prompt as an opportunity to learn something new about yourself.
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One definition of psychological flexibility is the capacity for being in contact with the present and acting on long-term goals rather than short-term urges. Being psychologically flexible allows people to adapt to changes in the environment and react in new, creative and healthy ways that align with an individual's goals and values. This ability also plays a vital role in health and well-being.
"What psychological flexibility boils down to is staying in the present moment and being open to experiencing whatever thoughts or feelings may arise, and then take action that is aligned with our values,” explains Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS, a psychologist and clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine.
In day-to-day life, psychological flexibility allows people to adjust their behaviors and routines to respond effectively to the demands of the situation in ways that serve an individual's goals and adhere to their core beliefs.
Characteristics of Flexibility
Some key elements of flexibility include:
- Being present: In order to be flexible, people need to be aware of what is happening in the world around them in the present moment. Instead of thinking about the past or worrying about the future, flexible people are able to center themselves in the here and now. “If we dwell on the past, or focus on the future, we are focusing on things that are out of our control, but also if we react, then we may not be acting, or making decisions based off of our values, beliefs, and goals,” Goldman says.
- Openness: Flexibility also requires people to be open to new experiences and perspectives. Rather than staying stuck in patterns that are not helpful, being flexible allows people to look at the situation in novel ways and make adjustments as needed.
- Acceptance: In order to stay psychologically flexible, people need to be willing to tolerate a range of emotions, even those that are not easy. Instead of trying to suppress or avoid these feelings, flexible people are able to accept what they are feeling, acknowledge their emotions, and look for ways to make meaning and grow from what they have learned.
Goldman also suggests that pausing before responding is important for psychological flexibility. “If we take that moment to pause, we can then properly assess a situation, remind ourselves to be present, what is in our control, and then make a decision based off of what we truly believe in, and not the current emotion we may be feeling (which may lead to reactive, impulsive, or rigid behaviors).”
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Psychological flexibility can be increased through acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a form of psychotherapy that helps people learn to adapt to changes in the world and in themselves while staying true to their personal values and goals. Research has found that acceptance and commitment therapy, which focuses on increasing psychological flexibility, helps decrease stress and improve well-being.
Examples of Flexibility
Some examples of ways people can display flexibility in real-world situations include:
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Accepting difficult emotions: A person who struggles with anxiety might display psychological flexibility by learning to accept their anxious thoughts and feelings of distress without judgment. Doing this allows them to react in anxiety-provoking situations with greater calmness and resilience.
- Dealing with setbacks: a person dealing with a significant setback, such as a job loss, can display flexibility by staying positive and taking steps to find another position. Flexibility allows them to face challenges and manage stress more effectively.
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Managing intense emotions: Strong emotions can sometimes feel overpowering. Psychological flexibility can help people acknowledge and accept such feelings without getting overwhelmed.
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Finding fulfillment: developing psychological flexibility is essential for making meaning and finding a sense of purpose in life. It allows people to respond to the full range of their feelings in open ways and align their behaviors with what matters most in terms of their core values.
Such examples show how flexibility helps people respond to life's ups and downs, contributing to greater well-being and fulfillment.
Why Flexibility Is Important to Mental Health
Goldman suggests that psychological flexibility is a vital component of mental health. "It can help decrease stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Further, being more psychologically flexible can boost our confidence and self-esteem and even improve relationships,” she notes.
Flexibility can play an important role in mental health and well-being for a number of reasons.
Being flexible and open to new experiences allows people to learn new things. It also helps people adapt to changing circumstances, which can help people function more effectively in their environments.
People can better let go of negative or unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns by staying psychologically flexible. Rather than getting stuck in rigid routines and behaviors that make problems worse, people can respond in more adaptive ways.
This not only helps people respond better to challenges, but it also helps them cope with setbacks when they do happen. Flexibility can improve how people manage stress and ultimately enhance overall well-being.
One study found that workers with higher levels of psychological flexibility were better able to stay open when dealing with work-related setbacks. Despite challenges, they could keep working on the same path and stay committed to their values. This ability also plays a part in supporting individual well-being.
How Do You Stay Mentally Flexible?
There are a number of strategies you can use to build and maintain your mental flexibility.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is all about being present in the moment, so this is a great way to become more aware of your emotions, thoughts, sensations, and perceptions of your environment.
Mindfulness is really just pausing to be fully present and aware, which is really the first step of becoming mentally flexible.
— RACHEL GOLDMAN, PHD, FTOS
Try setting aside a little time each day to focus on activities to build mindfulness, whether it involves practicing mindfulness meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or other activities. As you practice, you may find that you become more aware and ready to adapt to your changing environment.
Acknowledge Your Thoughts
Try to embrace the notion that a certain amount of discomfort and uncertainty are part of life. Rather than trying to avoid or resist difficulties, look for ways to acknowledge them. Remind yourself that discomfort and distress are temporary.
Allow yourself to feel the full range of emotions without judging these feelings as bad or wrong. Instead, they are part of life, and all emotions, even the difficult ones, can provide valuable information about how to adapt to your changing circumstances.5
Challenge Unhelpful Thoughts
Everyone has negative thoughts sometimes, and Goldman notes that it is crucial to remember how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are linked. Instead of focusing on whether the thought is negative, ask yourself if it is helpful. When you identify an unhelpful thought, it is essential to challenge it and replace it with something more helpful.
What to Try Instead
The key, Goldman notes, is to avoid trying to replace the thought with something unrealistic or overly positive, which might set you up for failure. Instead, aim for something more neutral.
For example, instead of thinking, ‘I’m a failure,’ you might think, ‘I don’t know if I’ll succeed, but I’m trying my best.’
“This type of thinking opens up the door to success, as well as to learning from the experience as opposed to the unhelpful thought of "I'm a failure," which already closed the door,” Goldman says.
Our self-talk becomes our reality, so be mindful of the words you use when you speak to yourself.
— RACHEL GOLDMAN, PHD, FTOS
By reframing how you look at the situation and replacing unhelpful thoughts, you'll be more flexible and better able to adjust your reactions to suit the situation.
Embrace New Things
Part of flexibility is being open to new ideas, experiences, and perspectives. Look for opportunities to push the limits of your comfort zone. Try having a conversation with someone with a different background than you. Read a book or watch a movie in a genre you don't usually seek out. Novel experiences can be a way to increase your adaptability and cultivate greater open-mindedness.
Consider Other Perspectives
You can further foster your open-mindedness by seeking out perspectives other than your own. This can include having face-to-face conversations with others, but it can also involve seeking out diverse opinions in your social media feeds.
Follow people who don't necessarily align with your background. Listen to what people have to say who come from different walks of life. Learning more about other people's points of view can not only help you become more empathetic, it can also open you up to more flexible ways of thinking about the world.
Build a Growth Mindset
A growth mindset, as opposed to a fixed mindset, focuses on your ability to learn new things and take actions that will help determine your destiny. People with this mindset see life's challenges as opportunities to grow, believing that their actions can effect change in the world. Having this mindset can help you stay more flexible when approaching problems and encourage you to make changes to help you better reach your goals.
"We can't predict the future," Goldman says, "so go into situations being curious. Most things in life aren't so 'all or nothing,' so remember that!"
Staying mentally flexible is an ongoing process that requires continual practice and effort. Incorporating some of these strategies into your daily life can help you foster greater psychological flexibility. In doing so, you’ll also be able to enhance your well-being and adapt more effectively to the ever-changing demands of life.
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup fat free milk
- 1/4 cup egg substitute
- 1 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
- 1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
- 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce – I recommend going with an authentic Mexican brand
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- 3/4 cup shredded white cheese
- cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese for topping
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Combine the first 7 ingredients (milk through green chiles), using just 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a round pie plate (mine was glass) coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
- While corn is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. When corn is done – it will be just barely set and golden brown – pierce entire surface liberally with a fork (it might stick a little bit to the fork).
- Pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with cilantro and Cotija cheese.
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A teacher's vitality or capacity to be vital, present, positive, and deeply engaged and connected to her/his children and students is not a fixed, indelible condition, but a state that ebbs and flows and grows within the context of the teaching life. Stepping Stone School is committed to a program of professional development devoted explicitly to nourishing the inner and external life or core dimensions that are increasingly important for our educators on their journey.
-Rhonda Paver
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The Educator Vitality Journey is a program designed to help our teachers to make a daily, conscious effort to be positive, self-aware, passionate, and fully engaged in their roles, while deepening their understanding of their true potential.
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