Overview
Thought, feelings, and behaviors are powerfully connected to one another. If one part changes, the other parts follow. *
Research shows that changing thoughts or behaviors are easier than changing emotions directly. This may seem odd because many people report that their emotions give them the most trouble. Remember though, that changing one part allows other parts to follow.
Thinking and Emotions
What you choose to think about has a strong effect on your mood (emotions). Focusing on negative feelings is a way to make them stronger. Thinking about positive activities that you are involved in will distract you from physical and emotional symptoms, making them less distressing.
Behaviors and Thinking
Having an active social life, achieving goals, and managing the ups and downs of life can lead you to think more positively about yourself. On the other hand, if you often stay home alone and do very little activity, you risk thinking negatively about your life.
Behaviors and Emotions
Changing your behavior can change your mood. If you feel bad, but push yourself to do a positive activity, your mood will improve. This is partly because your focus changes and partly because activity itself makes you feel better.
*Positive action can reduce anxiety and depression.
Changing your behavior is most influential because of its powerful effect upon thoughts and feelings. Goal setting will begin with behaviors (actions) because they are less difficult to change than feelings. It is also easier to measure an action (did you do it or not) rather than a feeling.
*As your actions change, your feelings will change.
The Importance of Goals
In recent years many people have decided to run marathon races. They don't decide to do this on the morning of the race. Instead, they sit down months and sometimes years in advance to make a plan. Individual plans can include a medical check up, weight training, incremental distance running, a change in diet, or whatever else is necessary to reach the goal.
Long term goals are usually made up of many short term goals. The attainment of these interim, or smaller goals, creates self esteem through the satisfaction generated by accomplishments.
The more clearly you define desired experiences or goals, the easier it is to plan how to achieve them.
Checkpoint
What are YOUR goals?
Take a minute or two to list some of your goals before continuing...
If you are like most people, you have done or were inclined to do one of the following:
- Skip the checkpoint, and decide to think about your goals later
- Thought about it, but couldn't come up with any goals to write down
- Wrote down a few fairly vague goals, such as "feel better", " or "get along with others better" or "be more active"
There's a good reason why that checkpoint was so difficult. Very few of us think about the necessary changes in our lives in terms of goals. We usually think about problems. Most of us can describe our problems quite specifically, because we think about them a lot.
To make changes that will improve the way you feel about yourself and your life, you will need to gain a new skill: turning problems into goals, and goals into plans.
Thought, feelings, and behaviors are powerfully connected to one another. If one part changes, the other parts follow. *
Research shows that changing thoughts or behaviors are easier than changing emotions directly. This may seem odd because many people report that their emotions give them the most trouble. Remember though, that changing one part allows other parts to follow.
Thinking and Emotions
What you choose to think about has a strong effect on your mood (emotions). Focusing on negative feelings is a way to make them stronger. Thinking about positive activities that you are involved in will distract you from physical and emotional symptoms, making them less distressing.
Behaviors and Thinking
Having an active social life, achieving goals, and managing the ups and downs of life can lead you to think more positively about yourself. On the other hand, if you often stay home alone and do very little activity, you risk thinking negatively about your life.
Behaviors and Emotions
Changing your behavior can change your mood. If you feel bad, but push yourself to do a positive activity, your mood will improve. This is partly because your focus changes and partly because activity itself makes you feel better.
*Positive action can reduce anxiety and depression.
Changing your behavior is most influential because of its powerful effect upon thoughts and feelings. Goal setting will begin with behaviors (actions) because they are less difficult to change than feelings. It is also easier to measure an action (did you do it or not) rather than a feeling.
*As your actions change, your feelings will change.
The Importance of Goals
In recent years many people have decided to run marathon races. They don't decide to do this on the morning of the race. Instead, they sit down months and sometimes years in advance to make a plan. Individual plans can include a medical check up, weight training, incremental distance running, a change in diet, or whatever else is necessary to reach the goal.
Long term goals are usually made up of many short term goals. The attainment of these interim, or smaller goals, creates self esteem through the satisfaction generated by accomplishments.
The more clearly you define desired experiences or goals, the easier it is to plan how to achieve them.
Checkpoint
What are YOUR goals?
Take a minute or two to list some of your goals before continuing...
If you are like most people, you have done or were inclined to do one of the following:
- Skip the checkpoint, and decide to think about your goals later
- Thought about it, but couldn't come up with any goals to write down
- Wrote down a few fairly vague goals, such as "feel better", " or "get along with others better" or "be more active"
There's a good reason why that checkpoint was so difficult. Very few of us think about the necessary changes in our lives in terms of goals. We usually think about problems. Most of us can describe our problems quite specifically, because we think about them a lot.
To make changes that will improve the way you feel about yourself and your life, you will need to gain a new skill: turning problems into goals, and goals into plans.
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