Tag: nadegeravoux

New Year, New Resolutions ?

Are New Year resolutions worth taking ?

60 percent of people drop their resolutions by the six-month mark[1] … But those who make resolutions are still 10 times more likely to successfully change their behaviour than those who do not.

So how can you optimize your chance to avoid the classical trap and actually take worthy New Year Resolutions and follow through successfully?

 

Here are a few, maybe unusual or different proposals to consider your 2018 resolutions:

Less of the same approach

If we try solving a problem or changing a behaviour we want to change while doing more of the same solution, it is very likely that we will keep the problem going or make it worse.

To quote Oscar Wilde ‘The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.”

The idea here is that authorizing ourselves what we were awkwardly trying to fight is a way to reframe our approach and to downplay the problem. When we stop looking for a solution, the problem can disappear.

Like the insomniac who finally gets asleep when he stops repeating himself he needs to sleep, we may test this approach for New Year Resolutions unmet for some years !

Less is more

This minimalist approach drives vast arenas of our behaviours and life choices nowadays, especially for the Millennial generation. Consuming less, giving material objects less weight, doing away with superfluous life items and turning our minds to seek out experiences that gives us ‘more’: more real-world experience, more personal growth, more social cohesion or environmental impact, more substance…

Focusing on less in order to get a better “more” in your life in the new year!

Positive formulation

Ensuring your resolutions are formulated in an affirmative and positive manner is key. For positive daily affirmations to be really positive, we want to only use words that cause us to act the way we want to act or to be : replacing the “don’t forget” by “remember to”, “try to” by “I am able to”, “not giving up” by “keep going, just keep going”, “overcoming my problem” by “finding solution”, etc…

Also, it is more difficult to “give up smoking” than to “become more fit” 😉

So ensure you formulate and turn your resolutions into positive ones in your daily routine and self-talk.

Intention instead of Resolution

An intention is something we plan to bring about, achieve, or manifest. It’s not about resolving any issue, as the word resolution alludes to. When setting intentions, we are manifesting a dream or trying to direct our thoughts in a particular way.

We can simply create an intention for ourselves because of something we need or want to focus on.

Beginning your year by declaring an intention is also a good way to set the tone. When setting an intention, using the word “choose” is recommended. To remember that in life we have a lot of choices and this intention is a personal, autonomous and responsible choice.

For example : “I choose to take care of my health and to go to the gym every Friday lunch”;  “I choose to see the positive aspects of my job and to be mindul of a pleasant moment or activity every day”…

Outside and inside

If we have external circumstances that are making us unhappy, by all means it is important to act to change them. So our resolution might be to change job, develop new relationships, move, etc.

At the same time, we can move to the other side of the world, start a relationship with the partner of our dreams or accomplish the professional goals we desire the most, in all cases we take ourselves with us ! So, whatever role we may play in that unhappiness will continue, unless we change it too.

So our intention might also be to change something inside.

Not the easiest resolution but certainly worth it: Facing ourselves, looking at our biggest fears straight in the eye, challenging our self-limiting beliefs or toxic ways of thinking.

This is a day-by-day, step-by-step resolution. We can create this transformational change through daily individual actions. With this intention, there is no milestone to be reached. It is a process that lasts a lifetime…

2018 is a good year for all of us to become more who we truly want to be !  Happy New Year !

[1] Psychology professor John Norcross (PhD University of Scranton) 1989. The resolution solution: longitudinal examination of New Year’s change attempts.

Nadège Ravoux – HealthyLux Passionate Contributor

HealthyLux January theme – New year, new resolutions – Nutrition and Fitness challenge

 

 

Autumn changes.

Letting the colourful leaves drop.

Sandwiched between blazing summer and chilly winter, autumn is the “cooling off” season. Crisp, cool air and drifting leaves of autumn are a colorful reminder that things are once again changing around us.

It is, in some ways, nature’s recall that life inevitably keeps moving forward and often leaves us searching for meaning and possibilities how we might adapt and overcome.

Trees shed their leaves before they take on the next change or challenge of snowfall. So too, we may find that change is necessary.

For us, it’s not leaves. Sometimes, our values, our motivation, our balance, our needs don’t look the same anymore. Leaves might also be dried up love, crumpled relationship, failed plans or lost dreams.

Something’s died, and we have a choice: will we hold on to it, season after season, while it saps our energy, stunts our growth, and strangles our beauty? Will autumn bring sorrow to think of these secondary losses- or this season of change be seen as a catalyst for the beauty that is to come as we find new purpose and connections with others?

Oh yes, letting go is hard ! It’s a struggle to release situations, people, things, behaviours or emotions we’ve grown accustomed to having in our lives. Some of us are better at letting go than others and we might be more attached to certain aspects of our lives than other people.

 A few coaching tips to choose to let go and let healing grow in you today?

  • Decide what’s really important. Take a step back. Think and feel what’s truly important to you.
  • Assess what benefits you’re getting. One of the reasons we hang on to things or people is because we believe they add value to our lives or because they added value before. But is that actually true? Really think about it…
  • Be brave enough to make the 1st step to release your grip and make space for emptiness. And remember : the hardest part is the release; once you’re brave enough to take that first step, you’ll soon see that you’re just fine without it.

Practice a body-mind sophrology exercice to help you ?

In a standing up position, close your eyes and connect with your inner body sensations. Connect with your breathing to relax and, if you know how to do it, scan your body sensations from head to toe and install a state of relaxation and deeper awareness. How do you feel inside, in the different parts of your body ? Does your mind or your body feel cluttered ? Let come to your awareness what is cluttering you or your life today.

Then, use your hands as beautiful cleaning brushes to massage and remove dust. ‘’Brush’’ yourself from the tip of your head to your feet and toes, as if you wanted to take off dust, the negative and unnecessary energy or emotions. As if you were making more space on your skin, inside all your body parts, removing and sending away all dust.

When finished, take a moment with your eyes closed to appreciate your new body sensations. How do you feel now ?

And concretely, you may also feel like breaking free from something : objects, old clothes to give away, a phone number,….

Remember the vibrant yellows, reds, and oranges of trees are at their most beautiful when they are in the midst of letting go. Yes, you might go through a tough time — a winter, if you will — but that will pass, and you’ll grow stronger and healthier in the process, just like bright green leaves and flowers do each spring.

Let’s go, let go! 

Nadège Ravoux – HealthyLux Passionate Contributor

HealthyLux November theme – Autumn colours

 

 

The inevitable back to school stress ? Tips for mums.

If you have children heading back to school and you feel anxious about September, thinking about hectic mornings, busy schedules, tiredness : here a few tips and ideas to enter this period with a different outlook.

Stress?

The most commonly accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to Richard S Lazarus) is that stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” In short, it’s related to our perception of the situation and what we feel when we think we’ve lost control of events. The stress response inside us is therefore part instinct and part to do with the way we think.

So, if you feel like jumping in a time machine and revert back to Day 1 of summer break to avoid September… Don’t worry, this transition period is not easy and let’s see how we can think it over differently.

Positive thinking

Write down the 5 main things you hate, you are anxious about or you would like to avoid in September.

Now, take time to think about : Which ones or which aspects are inevitable and beyond your actions or impact? Which ones or which aspect can you control or have an impact on?

Identify and write down positive actions and use your creativity.

For example, if you or your children do not like to wake up early.

First, all agree that if school starts at 8am, no way you can change it and complaining will not help!

On the other hand, you can do quite a lot to ensure a smoother transition for your family and more peaceful morning time. It’s all about changing how you are seeing mornings ; think about what you want to happen and reframe it.

Some simple changes can have a great impact, like:

  • adapt your sleep routine for you and your children one or two weeks before school start;
  • change morning routine; prepare the table breakfast the night before;
  • dedicate 15 minutes when the children are still in bed to organize the morning and spending that time packing your bag, laying out clothes, sorting stuff they need, etc.
  • if you have a big meeting at work, tell your child / partner the night before and ask them what they can do to help you.
  • re-organize the shoe area / school bags / sport equipment.

Be prepared to answer your children needs

Change, whether positive or negative is rated high as a stressor for children. The schedule change from summer to school is enough to create feeling of stress and anxiety for some children. Couple that with change of school, different friends, after school activities… Your children are very likely to experience stress in this adaptation period and stress being contagious, your own stress management and full capacity to support them will help.

Ensure that your children:

  • Get on a schedule (children respond very positively to routine).
  • Have a connexion and communication time with you so schedule peaceful down time.
  • Eat healthy and get sufficient rest and sleep time.

To be fully able to support your children and accompany them in this transition period, take care of yourself: nutrition, physical activity, sleep….

To help you releasing your own stress, we suggest practicing abdominal breathing exercise.

10 minutes are usually sufficient to experience a first calming and relaxing effect, preferably in the evenings. Practice lying down at first. Find a comfortable position lying on your back. You may prefer to keep your knees slightly bent and your feet flat against the surface.

Start by paying attention to your normal patterns of breathing for a few minutes: Do you breathe into your chest or abdomen? Does your breathing feel slow? Fast? Be aware of the movement of your breath in all your body.

Then, place your hands in a position that will allow you to track your breathing. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your ribcage. Relax your hands as much as you can, allowing your elbows to rest.

Then, inhale slowly through your nose and into your abdomen. And exhale slowly through your nose, with the abdomen moving downwards. Observe the regular movement of the air getting in and being pushed out through your abdomen. Continue this exercise for about 5 to 10 minutes.

In case of negative thinking or anxious feeling, try the following:

Take a few deeps breaths while focusing on the exhalation:

Exhale the negative feeling or thought in this moment: the ‘Mummy Guilt’ ; the one-hour queue to buy school furniture; the busy schedule …

And afterwards, inhale deeply a positive feeling or though and send it to yourself: the pleasure of being present to your children in this period ;the opportunity to relax and rest while queuing,the calming thought that September only lasts a few weeks -:)

In September, give your stress wings and it will fly away!

Nadège Ravoux – HealthyLux Passionate Contributor

HealthyLux September theme – Ready to Start School?