Behavior Change

Shaming Others

Shaming Others

As I recover from having COVID-19 late last year, I am stunned by how much shaming I hear and see. I'm sure I am sensitive to this because of my experience, but it seems that there is a lot more shaming than compassion and care. Let’s take a look at why people resort to shaming and what to do about it.

Magical Thinking

Magical Thinking

It's January, and it is time for us to put into action all the promises we made to change our behavior in 2021. Even though we have known long before the new year what we needed to change, we gave ourselves permission to continue these “bad” habits until now. Logic would say that if you're going to change a habit or behavior, any time is an excellent time to start. However, year after year, we pick arbitrary times like Mondays or the quintessential day of January 1 to begin. Why?

Try Something Different with Your New Year's Resolutions

Try Something Different with Your New Year's Resolutions

Most of us set goals or resolutions for the upcoming year. And with the disruption to our lives prompted by the pandemic, many of us probably have an extra-long list of things we would like to change. Even though most of us have not been successful in previous years’ resolutions, each year we are confident that this year will be different. Here are some ideas to improve your chances of success this year.

Want to Boost Your Immune System?

Want to Boost Your Immune System?

Before a vaccine, the two most promising strategies to reduce the risk of Covid-19 are: 1) practicing mitigation strategies of social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a mask, and 2) adopting lifestyle practices aligned to good immune health (Simpson et al., 2020). Let’s take a look at how moderate physical activity can help boost your immune system.

I'm Having a Bad Day!

I'm Having a Bad Day!

Even those of us who are usually upbeat and positive have bad days occasionally. These bad days may be prompted by something that happened or for no apparent reason at all. So, what can we do about it? How can we turn these bad days into something more productive and positive?

Power of Why

Power of Why

During this time of uncertainty, we are hungry for information. Often times, this is a result of people communicating with urgency and not a lot of planning. In this rushed state, it’s totally understandable that our first thought in communicating is focused on what, when, and where, with little or no focus on why. But, that’s not the first thought of the receiver of information. Let’s learn about the power of why…

I'll Do It Later

I'll Do It Later

Even before the pandemic, many of us struggled with procrastination. And now that we have lost the predictability and structure of our daily routines, many of us say that our motivation to get things done is waning. So, how do we combat this habit to delay tasks?

On/Off Thinking

On/Off Thinking

Just a few short weeks ago, we were asked to stay at home and not go out unless we absolutely had to. Decisions were made for us about what we could or could not do. We may not have liked it, but our decisions were easy. That’s because we understand “on/off” thinking or “dichotomous thinking”. But, what is it really and how does this type of thinking hold us back when it comes to positive behavior changes?

Adaptation

Adaptation

With all that is going on in our world, the words of Charles Darwin are particularly insightful to me. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is most adaptable to change.” So, what does adaptability really mean and why is it important?

Stopping Unwanted Habits

Stopping Unwanted Habits

After a few weeks of working at home, educating our children, or attending classes online, many of us have fallen into habits that we wish we hadn’t started. Much of this unwanted behavior may have begun as a way to soothe us and reduce our anxiety. But now we are starting to look at our lives and realize that many of these habits will not serve us well in the long run. So, how do we begin to reverse them?