Friday, August 17, 2012

Values Improve Your Life


File:TotemTree Kidsonroof.jpg
 Kidsonroof wishes to re-connect modern life with nature
, rediscovering basic values. 
What are Values?
They are the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group

Why are they important?
They help improve your quality of life,help us deal with stress.Can help us keep motivated when we want to give up.Values can give you a sense of achievement and something to look forward to.

A quick exercise to see what your values are can be found here Identify Your True Values


A relaxation exercise to find your deepest personal value can be found at the end of the post about Crisis Skills


Time to Set Goals
goals,values,relationship,health,education,quality of life,personal,mental ,health,steps
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How to do this:
Take the values that you rated from 5 to 10 (moderately to extremely important) from the exercises above and write out a plan on how to achieve your goal.

You will :

  • Set time limits
  • Break it into steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed
  • Think of things that will help you achieve your goal

An example

A part of my life that I value is : Self-Care

What I intend to do : Spend more time looking after myself physically & mentally

Monday: I will do a relaxation exercise for at least 10minutes to reduce my stress levels.
I will try to set a routine by choosing when to have regular mealtimes & write down some ideas for healthier meals,as well as a food diary so I can get a good idea of my progress.

Tuesday: I will do a relaxation exercise for at least 12 minutes.I will start writing in a journal for 10minutes about issues so that I can think in a different way,I will try not to judge myself while doing this.I will try to have  at least 2 regular healthy meals eating a little even if I am not hungry so that my blood sugar levels are ok so I can prevent mood swings.

WednesdayI will do a relaxation exercise for at least 15 minutes. will try to have  at least 2 regular healthy meals eating a little even if I am not hungry.

Thursday:I will clean out the cupboards and buy more fruit and vegetables so that I will be less tempted to eat junk food.I will not go grocery shopping when I am hungry.I will eat regularly so that I will not eat too much too quickly when I get really hungry.

Friday:I will go for a walk with my friend Melinda so that hopefully when I am with her time will go faster and I will enjoy working out.

Saturday:This is my day where I will catch up on what I may have not been able to do during the week,if I have done everything  I will try a relaxation exercise for 20minutes and go for a 30 minute brisk walk.

Sunday:I will prepare some meals for the week so that I am not in a hurry.I will freeze some soup and other dishes as well as plan what I will bring to work for lunch.

Other self-care activities include Mood Charting,  Finding   Treatment ,learning how to reduce stress levels during a Crisis ,Learning Healthier Coping Skills.
By eating healthily,sleeping better,treating pain,avoiding mood-altering drugs,doing things that you are good at & relaxing more you will be less likely to have mood swings.More information can be found here: http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/reduce_vulnerability.html


If you rated education between 5 &10 your intention might be to return to school and one of your intentions could be to get some catalogs of classes and sign up for a class in three weeks(deadline)

If you rated (romantic)relationships between 5 &10 your intention might be spend more time with that person.Your intentions could be to spend less time working/at the computer/with friends,or to learn 5 things about how you can improve the relationship by next week (such as Anger Management Skills & Effective Communication Skills ) and trying to apply each technique as you learn it.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I hope this has been helpful,please leave a comment or tick one of the boxes below (average,good,very good,excellent...)

I wish you success in the steps needed to improve your life.


Sources: The DBT Skills Workbook,a very good easy to read workbook for anyone with overwhelming emotions.http://www.amazon.com/Dialectical-Behavior-Therapy-Skills-Workbook/dp/1572245131
Image-Wikimedia Commons

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