Show of hands: How many of us created resolutions to start off 2019 on the “right foot”? Most of us, right?
Now for those of us who raised our hands (myself included): how many of those resolutions have been abandoned already?
Statistics suggest that 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February. Isn’t that wild? Turns out, it’s not just normal - it’s completely understandable.
It’s that time of year again. And we don’t mean the holidays. For 5% of Americans, the end of fall/beginning of winter marks the beginning of an annual slump. Some know it as “The winter blues”, “a seasonal funk”, or even “the holiday hangover”... in the clinical world, it’s known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or Seasonal Depression.
“Gratitude” seems like one of those sticky catch-all words. It conjures up the image of a family at Thanksgiving dinner going around the table and professing all that they are grateful for. It conjures up images of writing thank-you cards for gifts (an oft-dreaded practice). These are certainly good practices of gratitude - and there’s more to living a gratitude-driven lifestyle than a simple “thank you”!
It can be scary to imagine yourself living a life without your mental illness holding you back - when you have struggled for so long, it can be easy to over-familiarize yourself with your symptoms because they are familiar, comfortable, and safe. However, we are not our brains (I’ll say it again: we are not our brains). We are affected by the way our brains function, but we are not forever defined by what our brains do.
More and more mental health professionals are recognizing the depth of impact that trauma plays on the psyche and the physical body. Trauma impacts the autonomic nervous system, behavioral patterns, relationships, and so much more. The complete neurobiological impact is difficult to fully comprehend.
Is your internal dialogue harsh and negative (do you call yourself names, berate yourself, or make empty promises)? Or is your internal dialogue positive (kind, supportive, compassionate, patient, and trustworthy)? From the fields of psychology to mindfulness to quantum physics, many researchers agree that our thoughts become our reality.