Tips for Making a Change for the Better!

If you are contemplating making a change for the better, perhaps losing weight, improving your eating habits, getting help for anxiety or depression, or resolving issues in a relationship, you are at a stage of awareness.   But what you need to really move forward and begin doing rather than thinking about change is a level of emotional arousal and emotional energy. Use emotional energy to garner the momentum you need to make the change.  We know from research that knowing facts about a problem or dilemma is not enough to create behavior change. So stir things up a bit.  Here are some suggestions:

Create your own promotional materials.  Film yourself YouTube style and monitor your progress with a succession of videos.  Or paint or draw or create posters that are unique to your goals, post them at home and work and ramp up your emotional energy.

Start a group or join a group. There is a reason why joining and participating with a group of people with similar goals is a successful endeavor for many.  Participation can be emotionally energizing via the support you get from others in the group.

Use meditation, visualization and imagination. Take time out each day be in the moment, to reflect, visualize your goal and imagine how you will feel.   The emotional release you may experience may help you to move forward with the needed momentum so that you will be successful in reaching your goal.

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The mind-body connection

Current research fully supports the notion that  psychological treatments of people who seek help in a medical setting can make a significant difference in their overall health.  In the 1980's, estimates were that approximately 25% of visits to a primary health care practitioner are for psychological and mental disorders, masked by physical symptoms. This estimate has increased to 30-50% today. And estimates today suggest that more than 60% of emergency room visits involve a psychological component.  We also know that up to 80% of medical patients overall, struggle with various levels of psychological distress. What does this all mean?  Most importantly, statistics now clearly demonstrate that illness is not only physiological and that the psychological component is an important contributor to health, well-being and therefore illness.  The biological, psychological and social are intertwined in a complex and powerful manner.  What can be done?  Physicians and physician's groups need to continue to increase efforts to include psychologists in their treatment plans and willingly refer when the patient might benefit from psychological intervention.  And patients need to increase their awareness of the mind-body connection, examine their own psychological struggles, talk to their health care providers about their physical and psychological status and ask for help and psychological support when they need it.