The Benefits of Being Self-Disciplined

Being self-disciplined has many beneficial results. These include a sense of accomplishment, more self-respect, and a better understanding of what you can do. Plus, with a routine you will know what to do each day, leaving you with more clarity and less stress.

What does it mean to be self-disciplined? According to Collins Dictionary, a disciplines person acts or behaves in a controlled way, with rules and standards. When you understand the beauty of this, you are the one in control who sets the standards to follow. You aren’t at the mercy of someone else.

While being disciplined is not always easy, it is well worth it. When you set goals and work on them every day until you accomplish them, you will feel proud of yourself. Not only because you accomplished the goal, but because you did not quit.  You stayed the course and made them happen. If you think back to a prior achievement, you had a goal and worked on it every day until you reached it – how did you feel?

When you discipline yourself to accomplish a goal, you also increase your self-respect. Think of the people you have the most respect for and why; chances are that one of those reasons is that they have self-discipline. They set out to do something, not stopping until they accomplish it.

By doing the same, you can have more self-respect and confidence. However, when you aren’t self-disciplined you will feel less respect for yourself, which will lower your self-esteem, and are more likely to fall into negativity and states of depression and anxiety.

But, when you become disciplined in your habits and routines, you learn more of what you can do. You will have the ability to set higher goals and challenge yourself to meet them. You will find that you can overcome obstacles that you might have thought were too difficult, while learning more about who you are and what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it.

A lot of times people put limitations on themselves that are not really accurate. Think about something you think is not possible: is it really impossible or are you setting a limitation that is based out of a fear of some kind?

One way to find out is to set a goal and make it happen. As an example, you may want to run a marathon but, if you are a couch potato, you cannot immediately do so; but, over time as you build up your body with increasingly more intense exercise, you can. This is how discipline works.

Mindset is a huge part of a disciplined life – believe you can and you will. Put affirmational words on your bathroom mirror, write them down, say them loud so they ‘stick’ and you believe, i.e. “I can and I will.”

 

Now it is your turn. Choose a goal that you want to achieve, and set up milestones, i.e. daily or weekly actions, along the way. Then each day do something to make those milestones happen. It does not have to be anything major, just one more small step on the way to your final goal. Having discipline will put you in the mindset of achievement, while having accountability, to stay the course until the goal is reached.

When you reach that final goal, take stock of how you feel about yourself and what you are capable of doing. Self-recognition is vital to future achievements so be sure to write them down.

“Discipline is doing what you really don’t want to do so you can do what you really want to do”     (Jeff Fisher)

 

If you’re struggling with starting and achieving your goals, reach out for help and to get started. We’re here for you!

 

 

 

 

8 Tips for Handling Frustration in a Healthy Way

As we start a new week, you will be faced with frustration both in your job and at home. It could be finances, something with your kids or partner, or that a situation doesn’t play out like you thought it would. Frustration leads to stress, that overwhelming feeling of not being in control over your situations.

 

Stress, actually, is our capacity to handle situations, events, people, etc. in our lives; if we feel there is ‘too much’ then this can lead to mental, emotional, and physical symptoms that can spiral out of control if not addressed.

 

Handling stress in healthy ways is an ongoing challenge. That’s because when we’re frustrated, we tend to react rather than respond. The good news is there are natural, healthy ways to deal with your frustration:

 

Accept It

The first step in dealing with anything is to accept the reality of it. Once you’ve acknowledged you’re frustrated, you can do something about it, and it no longer rules your life.

 

Send an S.O.S

Pretend you’re behind enemy lines and stuck there. You can ask for help, but you’ll need to ask for that help in a letter. Describe your distress, including all the details of how you got where you are. Ask for help. When finished? Destroy the letter. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel (and you might even get an idea for ‘rescue’ from the exercise).

 

Make a List

What are your options toward fixing whatever is causing the frustration? List everything you can think of, even the silly ideas. Use this list as a jumping off point toward finding a solution.

 

Laugh

Read something funny. Watch a comedy. Tune in to your favorite comedian. The act of laughter releases endorphins in the brain, helping you to feel better and think more clearly. Frustration doesn’t stand a chance.

 

Look at the Big Picture

What will this frustration look like next week? Next month? Next year? Will it be as scary as it is today? Asking these kinds of questions helps you to put your frustration in perspective, making it smaller and easier to deal with right now.

 

Find Some Energy

Hang around people who are full of enthusiasm. Being around positive people helps you to remain positive and likewise energizes yourself. Frustration fades in this environment.

 

Socialize

Talk about what’s frustrating you with someone else or post it on your social media. You’ll find out very quickly that you’re not alone. More importantly, you’ll see other people who have successfully gotten past this very same point.

 

Focus on Something Else

Doing mindless, repetitive work helps to put your focus elsewhere. Break your frustrating task into tiny pieces and work each one with full concentration. Celebrate progress. Frustration gets lost in concentration.

 

 

There are dozens of ways to get past frustration. Experiment and find what works for you. The key is not to give in. Keep pressing onward. You’ll get through these episodes with awareness and repetition. As the saying goes: ‘this, too, shall pass.”

 

If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, and not sure how to cope, let us help. We work with teams, also.

 

The Benefits of Aromatherapy to Deal with Stress

If you’re looking for an easy way to relax when under stress, aromatherapy can be an answer. Our senses are very powerful and are useful when trying to get calm, to relax, and to energize.

The sense of smell goes into the deepest part of the brain through the olfactory area of the central nervous system, which stimulates the hormones of serotonin and dopamine (our happy chemical) and helps with mood-regulation.

Aromatherapy has its roots in holistic and alternative medicine; these practices are being embraced and used by the medical community and other businesses. We now see products being sold in grocery stores and pharmacies.

Aromatherapy is the practice of using oils from plant extracts for medicinal, relaxation and aromatic purposes. Making your own ‘concoction’ gives the best results, as the pure extracts are being used; essential oils are most notably sold but these are laced with other ingredients. Candles offer another way to reap these calming benefits, as well as diffusers, incense, and lotions. My personal favorite is Vick’s VapoRub, as it has both calming ingredients plus pain relief.

Using any of these can bring calm from depression or anxiety; pain relief from tension, such as in your head, neck or back; and energize with certain scents.

So, what scents are the best? Here are some suggestions:

  • Lavender – calming, pain, enhance memory, sleep aid
  • Eucalyptus and peppermint – brain fog, mental focus
  • Rosemary and lemon – memory, focus, mental fatigue, stimulation
  • Patchouli and Ylang Ylang – reduce stress and anxiety, enhance mood
  • Orange – mood enhancer

Of course, there are many others, which can be used in combination with other to create appealing scents. Some scents might be overbearing so other ways include: candles, incense, and lotions or bath salts/bombs (“Calgon take me away…”).

You may have to test and try out which method and scent  to see what works best; you may take a relaxing bath with lavender to decompress, or add lemon to a diffuser while you’re doing the dishes.

Aromatherapy is truly a great way to feel good. These alternative herbs and oils can bring a natural way of  enhancing your mental health and well-being.

 

 

If you’d like help with anxiety and stress, and learn healthier coping patterns, reach out to schedule a call to learn how we can help.

 

 

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)