Tag: habit

Sunday, September 10

Today is Sunday, September 10, 2023. The seasonal changes begin again. The cycle continues.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: Begin the process of building yourself up and to continue to get better in ways that matter to you.

  1. Think of a new habit that you would like to add to your life, for example, a movement routine on waking or a 5 minute self-reflection at the end of each day.
  2. Know why this would benefit you and write it down, “I [start my day with a smile of gratitude to the world and sun salutations when I wake up] so that [I am in control of my mind and body as I start my day with calm].
  3. Figure out how you will track it. This is your data. It should be easy, allow you to see your progress and it should allow you to feel good about it every time you engage with the habit and see the progress. For example, mark on your calendar each time you engaged with your new habit. Rate your overall mood or motivation for the day.  Or, it might be automatically tracked on a tracking device.
  4. Identify what you could do to make that desired habit fun. What would make it appealing to do? Maybe anticipation of a reward? Connecting with an accountability partner who boosts you? Seeing the streak or number of days on the calendar you achieved? Rating your mood for the day?
  5. Experiment this week with implementing your plan. Review the data as you go along.

A quote by Mark Twain, “The secret of making progress is to get started.”

Thank you to Nicole Siparsky, MD, for sharing this photo, Vermont Lake.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Monday, September 21

Today is Monday, September 21, 2020, the International Day of Peace.

An inspirational Quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, “Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.”

Photo by: Mary Anderson, Downtown Chicago in sunset from across Lake Michigan

During Self-Care September, we offer prompts to energize your self-care routine. We invite you to experiment with any or all the suggested activities to invigorate, your mind, body and spirit.

Self-Care Activity: Monday Mood Enhancers. Explore ways to refresh your environment to awaken your senses.

    • Set up your environment for calm by including nature exposures for your eyes.
    • Nourish your brain with your preferred music or sounds. Studies show that music can improve mood, brain function and behavior.
    • Sip an unsweetened tea that is different than what you are used to. Tea can be hot or iced. Many people drink Darjeeling, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Jasmine and Matcha or green tea. Some other popular flavors include Vanilla Rooibos (caffeine free), Oolong, Sencha, Moroccan Mint and Yerba Mate (caffeine).

Recharge yourself when you repeat:    

“I am [*Name*]. I am resilient and learning every day. I am part of the global community. I love myself because I have kindness and love in my heart and soul. As I think about those I love and care for, I send loving kindness out to all people. We are all connected. We can be resilient together.”

The Mindfulness Activity to practice this week to create Calm Moments:  

    • Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders back and down, smile to yourself, & relax your jaw.
    • Take slow deep belly breaths, allowing your stomach to rise with each breath in and relax with each breath out. You may find that each breath gets better and better. Allow your shoulders to relax on each exhale.
    • Begin your self-talk.
      1. Say to yourself, “I can step back.” See yourself step back in your mind.
      2. “I can clear my head.” Visualize a clean sweep of your head.
      3. “My body can calm.” Release your neck shoulders.
      4. “I can release.” Take a belly breath and full breath out.
      5. Smile.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP