Write Down the Game Plan Write down the exact steps in detail along with a date for completion. Jotting down all the small steps avoids confusion and gives the mini-steps more force by crystallizing the process. Your written list of small steps is your action plan. Research shows that framing goals around a plan with clear objectives is much more productive than thinking of goals as desires. One study, which included 188 participants, found that distinguishing between “desires” and “intentions” dramatically increased decision- making and action. When individuals framed goals around clear intentions, rather than desires, they were much more likely to perform and take action. Seeing goals as intentions also decreased the timeframe for achievement (Eur JSoc Psychol 2004;34:69).  Keep Up MomentumReview your to-do list of mini-steps on a daily basis. Incorporate this review into your morning routine. Don’t skip it, even if you’re off schedule. If you do veer off schedule, regroup and adjust your schedule. And, don’t be afraid to modify the small steps into micro-mini ones if you still feel overwhelmed. Keeping up momentum is important to self-confidence. Check off what you’ve done, and reward yourself for finishing the step by doing something healthy that you enjoy. Please click the link below to redeem this offer for New Patients only. Click the Like button below
0 Comments
 Shoot for the moon. If you miss, you’ll still reach the stars. Dream it, and you can be it. Obstacles are only visible when you lose sight of your goals. Sayings like these make goat achievement sound like a cinch. The truth is that setting and accomplishing goals isn’t as simple as it sounds. Because resolutions are often health-related,Soft Touch Chiropractic wants to help patients follow through with them. Dr. Shamaeizadeh has gathered techniques from recent research to help you establish objectives that will stay around way past Jan. 1. Read on for tips on creating and sticking with New Year’s resolutions. Select and Frame Goals With Care If you’re like most people, coming up with goals — from health and finances to family — is no problem. To determine which goals are most important, give each goal a priority. Focus only on one or two goals that top the list Frame goals around conditions over which you have as much control as possible. Goals based on personal achievement and acquiring skills or knowledge are more attainable than goals with outcomes beyond your control. While it is vital to challenge yourself, choose only realistic goals. The saying that “procrastination is perfectionism in disguise” is true. You are more likely to tackle missions that you know you can actually complete. For example, if your goal is fitness oriented, consider setting a goal of exercising each day rather than finishing in the top 10 of a race. With “outcome” goals, such as winning race or being promoted at work, many factors are outside of your command. Ineffective management, bad weather, injury and others’ poor judgment can sabotage your success. Begin With Baby Steps Have prior failures made you leery about whether you’ll follow through with your goal? Do you lack inspiration to start or feel that you just don’t have enough time? Relax, you’re not alone! Feeling overwhelmed by resolutions is not uncommon, but there’s a simple solution: Dr.Shamaeizadeh suggests you start by breaking down a goal into small, measurable mini-steps. For example, the goal “clean up the house exterior so house will sell” is much too vague and broad to inspire. Small, incremental steps to meet the primary goal are much more manageable. Each small step should be something that you can visualize, such as “pick an exterior paint color” or “trim hedges of front bushes.” Research shows that considering goals in terms of small, manageable increments is the best way to attain them. In a study performed in Ontario, Canada, researchers asked 96 participants to perform a complex task. Individuals who tackled the assignment by identifying and executing specific steps were much more corn-miffed than those with general goals to do their best. The researchers explained that identifying strategies to accomplish the small steps increased the participants’ self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is an individual’s personal estimate of his or her own ability to reach a specific goal. The researchers found that self- efficacy further increased performance and determination (J Organizational Behav 2001;22:291-307). Please click the link below to redeem this offer for New Patients only. Click the Like button below   “It is the season to be jolly ...“ — and stressed, Unfortunately, the holiday season, with its overflowing to-do lists, often brings more stress than holiday cheer. The good news? Soft Touch chiropractic has some winning strategies to ward off holiday-related stress. Dr. Shamaeizadeh witnesses the results of unchecked stress every day: from colds to headaches, digestive problems and low-back pain. Can’t find a gift you purchased a month ago? Blame it on stress. It’s an established fact that psychological stress can also spark memory loss (Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999;56:527-33). In addition, researchers from the University of California recently noted a distinct rise in cardiac-related deaths on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 and cited holiday-related stress as one factor for the jump (Circulation 2004;11O:3781-8). The following are just a few practical suggestions from Soft Touch Wellness on how to slash holiday-related stress. Pass on Perfection There is no such thing as perfection. So why ruin your holidays pursuing something that doesn't exist? Stop comparing yourself with magazines, television personalities , FB , you-tube or friends who seem to effortlessly concoct ideal festivities. Instead of perfection, focus on fun and relaxation. For instance, a day focused on holiday perfection might involve hiding away in the kitchen cooking multiple batches of your famous “perfect” fudge for friends who would be just as pleased with store-bought — when you don’t even enjoy cooking! Whereas a day focused on holiday fun might involve attending a show with a good friend or helping your children color holiday cards for a few close family members. Be Realistic About the Relatives The holidays are about celebrating the joys of family togetherness. But families, by their very nature, are imperfect. That’s why Soft Touch Wellness encourages patients to let go of the unrealistic expectations about the way the holidays should be. It’s normal to have the holidays punctuated by family drama. Just because the calendar says it’s time to celebrate and be loving doesn't mean that it will actually happen. Which is why guilt and depression are also normal this time of year. Often, couples may feel guilty about spending the holidays with one side of the family instead of the other. Missing loved ones who are absent due to military service or other reasons may also generate depression. To avoid holiday guilt, think compromise and consider creative solutions. In the above example, plan to alternate holidays with each side of the family, or host a joint celebration uniting both families. It’s also OK to simply stay home some years and celebrate with only your immediate family. Remember, you can’t please everyone all of the time. So give yourself permission not to stress out about it. Your health is more important. Help Others to Heal The holidays are a lonely time of year for people without loved ones in the area. If you don’t have family members nearby, volunteer at area nonprofit agencies. Helping others is one of the best mood lifters there is. Tame Traditions Traditions are magnificent. They are part of the fabric that weaves generations of family members together. But they can also become overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to select your holiday activities carefully, choosing only those that give you the greatest emotional returns. Cut Down on Kitchen Time Cooking a holiday feast can take weeks of preparation and hours behind a hot stove. If you enjoy cooking, this may be relaxing. However, for most people, it is more a chore than a pleasure. One option is to have your event catered. Depending on your menu, the cost may be comparable to what you ordinarily spend. Also consider healthy pre-made items available at specialty groceries and delis. Or, how about a potluck? To avoid ending up with 30 desserts and no main course, make a list and assign each guest a category — such as en-trée, salad or dessert. You might also opt to provide the main course and have family members sign up for everything else. Either way, this option is a tremendous sanity saver, whether your celebration is at home or offsite. Get a Handle on Holiday Cards There are few things as stressful — and daunting — as several boxes holiday cards waiting to be inscribed, addressed and mailed. One way to tame this tradition is order pre-printed address and return labels. You can also tuck a photocopied note inside, highlighting the comings and goings of your family over the last year. If that seems a tad too impersonal, you can add a one- or two-line handwritten message to the note. Of course, you can also opt to bypass the end-of-year card frenzy altogether or opt for New Year’s cards or Valentines. Be Picky About Parties Here’s another shocking fact about the holidays: You don’t have to attend every party and holiday event, unless you want to. Before you R.S.V.P, ask yourself the following questions: * Am I going because I want to or because I feel it’s expected? Get a Grip on Gift Buying Does your uncle still collect model cars? Does your nephew wear a large or extra-large shirt? And what exactly do fourth-grade girls think is fashionable? To avoid having a holiday meltdown in the middle of your favorite department store, plan ahead by making a list of gifts and recipients and sticking to it. Take advantage of stores with free gift-wrapping services, or hire a neighbor’s teenager to wrap your gifts for you. Also, consider giving gift certificates. Another successful technique for slashing gift-shopping stress is to order online whenever possible. Many online retailers waive shipping fees at holiday time, especially if you place your order well in advance. And if you have the item shipped directly to the recipient, it will save you a trip to the post office! Fend Off Financial Woes Not having enough money to do all the things you’d like to do — or buy all of the things you’d like to buy — can eradicate the joy of the season. It may be tempting to overload your credit cards in an effort to pretend to yourself, and others, that things are better than they truly are. But doing so will only add to the stress of the situation. Instead, celebrate the love of family and friends. The following are just a few of the ways you can ease your holiday-related financial burdens: * Suggest that your family or group of friends re-wrap gently or unused items and have a “white elephant” gift exchange, rather than buying new. * Initiate a “Holiday Fund” in January, setting aside a specific dollar amount each month. * If you have storage space, shop year-round and take advantage of sales. Make a running list of the gifts you have purchased and, just as importantly, where you have hidden them away! * Streamline gift giving if you have a large family by drawing names for a “secret buddy” exchange rather than purchasing gifts for everyone. * Make a budget and stick to it. * Make homemade gifts, such as crafts or baked goods. * Take advantage of after-holiday sales. Stock up on items you know you will need such as gift wrap — so you won’t be scrambling to pick them up (and paying full price) next November. Click the Like button below.  By Dr. Masoud Shamaeizadeh Your joints store and process more information every second of your life than all other organs combined, except the brain. We don't tend to think about joints as information-processing centers, but that is exactly what they are. Part of our mission at Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch is to bring awareness about health topics that are sometimes ignored. Every function in the human body is controlled by the nervous system. We often forget that the joints are capable of many functions. Of course, their most important function is movement; however, there are lots of other functions in our joints that are not commonly talked about. For example, every time you hold an object in your hand and you guess how heavy it is, you are using your joint's receptors. Inside each joint there are many receptors such as pressure receptors and mechanoreceptors that tell you how heavy an object is when you hold it in your hands. Joint receptors also tell you the position of your body in space; that's why when the joints of your body start to degenerate, you are not aware of your posture due to decreased number of receptors in your joints. A subluxation is what causes a joint to degenerate. Subluxation is the term we use when joints in our bodies are locked in position or are out of proper position. Any joint in the body can be sublaxated, not just the joints in the spine. The joint's degeneration is usually caused by a lack of movement in the joints. When the joints are misaligned, their movement is decreased and as a result, the joints will slowly degenerate. These are the functions that the body loses as the joints degenerate: 1. Weight recognition 2. Position recognition 3. Stress recognition 4. Flexibility recognition 5. Ability to self heal Chiropractic adjustments create motion in the joints; doing this will revitalize the misaligned joints. By restoring the joints the relaying of information to the brain is also restored. We tend to lose joint receptors as we get older. However, joints can also lose some of their receptors as a result of trauma or injury. Even minor injuries can damage receptors. In many cases chronic trauma such as bad posture or bad sleeping habits may damage these receptors in the joints. If a joint stays in a bad position for a long time it may create a subluxation. You will recognize a sublaxated joint by the feeling of stiffness. If a stiff joint goes untreated, the joint loses the ability to communicate its need for help and attention to the brain. It is important to pay attention to the joints because degeneration happens slowly over time. Ideally, a person would prevent the degeneration of the joints by getting regular chiropractic adjustments, but if degeneration has started setting in, then it is important to give the joint immediate attention. If you feel stiffness in any joint in your body, ask your chiropractor to examine that joint. Movement and stretching will help relieve stiffness, but when the joint is sublaxated, only a chiropractic adjustment will help restore the joint. At Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch it is our goal to continue to inform our patients. We hope this has been helpful to you Please click the link below to redeem this offer for New Patients only.
Click the Like button below |
New Patient SpecialArchives
December 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed
