What?: How to Stay Goal Oriented in Times of Distress Robert - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Feb 25, 2024 133 likes •469 views

Life Happened, Now What?: How to Stay Goal Oriented in Times of Distress Robert Scholz, MA, LMFT Clinical Director Engage Treatment Programs, Westlake Village What do you think? What are stressors in now? Ahead? What are the

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Life Happened, Now What?: How to Stay Goal Oriented in Times of Distress

Robert Scholz, MA, LMFT Clinical Director Engage Treatment Programs, Westlake Village

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What do you think?

 What are stressors in now? Ahead?  What are the challenges in dealing

with life?

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 Academics  Money  Family/ Missing Home  Extra-curricular/sports/work---time

management

 Relationship concerns  Etc.

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Bottom Line: Life is Hard

 Good to take advantage of resources

available to you

 Good to learn skills that will help you with

coping with your current and future challenges

 Each person’s story is infinitely unique but

there are some skills that can help anyone—regardless of situation or problem

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Goal: To be more resilient

 What is resilience? How would you

define?

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Resilience

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“ ”

Basically---resilience means the ability to “bounce back” after being stretched.

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

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4 Dimensions

Physical Social Cognitive Mindfulness/Meditation/Mind-

Quieting ** Combination of nature/ nurture

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Physical

 Note—These are very basic, but often neglected,

and very tied to mental health.

 Like what?

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Physical

Sleeping Eating Exercise

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Sleep

 How many hours is good?

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Sleeping

 8-9 hours is best

 Did you get

that last night?

 Do you wake

up feeling rested?

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But I don’t have time to sleep!

 Do you have time to get sick?  Do you have time to waste reading/studying

information that you cannot code and/or retrieve?

 Do you have time for more emotional distress,

relational conflict, challenges to seem more

verwhelming than they are, etc.?

 DON’T HAVE TIME NOT TO SLEEP!

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Want to sleep but can’t?

 Consider these tips:

 Avoid caffeine later in the day  Avoid heavy eating right before bed  Exercise—but not right before bed  Have some transition time---avoid

screens or stressful material right before bed

 Try to maintain the same basic sleep

schedule

 If can’t sleep---get up! Don’t fight it.

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Exercise

 Exercise can help

promote resilience

 Aerobic exercise is

especially good for mood struggles.

 Are you doing that?

Getting aerobic exercise several days per week?

 What about something

that relaxes you—like yoga or hiking?

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Healthy Eating

 How would you

guess diet is connected to mental health or mood?

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Healthy Eating

 I’m not a dietitian, so

won’t go into extensive detail here, but will remind you to watch

 Not eating regularly  Not drinking enough

water

 Eating too much junk

food

 Over-doing it on

caffeine

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Social Coping

 Research repeatedly

shows in the little annoyance of life and the huge stressors and losses, social support promotes resiliency.

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Friends are important

 To share important

concerns

 To get support  To relax, laugh, have fun  To play  Academic journey is a

marathon more than a

sprint. Make time for

friends.

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Healthy Thinking

 What kinds of thoughts would help a person

resilient?

 What kinds of thoughts do you think interfere or

add to the problem?

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 Expecting challenges as a part of

life vs. being shocked that your life doesn’t go smoothly

 Learning to rally and have a “This

too shall pass” perspective

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Avoid Rigid Thinking

 Perfectionism  All-or-nothing  Catastrophic thinking

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Avoid Critical Thinking

 Don’t insult self  Watch inner

dialog

 Realizing thoughts

are not always reality---Try “I’m having the thought that…[I’m going to fail]”

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What is your mindset

 Fixed mind set

 Life Sucks  It’s never going

to get better.

 I know I’m going

to fail

 I just can’t take it

anymore.

 Growth mindset

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Thinking grateful thoughts

 Simply choosing to write down 5

things a day that you are grateful for can improve

 Psychological well-being---mood, energy, etc  Physical well-being---sleep, fewer symptoms  Social well-being—better relationships

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Mindfulness

 Intentional, purposeful

 Opposite is  mindlessness

 Self-aware  Present  Problem-solving  E.g., I am feeling anxious.

I am going to turn off this news show and go for a walk. On walk notice flowers, birds, etc.

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M I N D F U L N E S S M E D I T A T I O N

DISCRETE PERIODS OF MEDITATION OFTEN FOCUSED ON PAYING ATTENTION TO BREATH, BODY, AND THE PRESENT MOMENT.

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Guided meditations

 Online options

 Marc.ulca.edu  Franticworld.com

 Let’s do one of these now----

 Franticworld.com---Go to guided meditations  Mindfulness meditation of body a breath  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvZB5sHZLFE  FOREST RIVER GUIDED Meditation to let go

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M I N D F U L N E S S R E S E A R C H

POSITIVELY AFFECTS BRAIN PATTERNS UNDERLYING DAY-TO-DAY ANXIETY, STRESS, DEPRESSION, AND IRRITABILITY REGULAR MEDITATORS SEE DOCTORS LESS OFTEN; SPEND FEWER DAYS IN HOSPITAL MEMORY IMPROVES, CREATIVITY INCREASE, REACTION TIMES BECOME FASTER.

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So Assess Yourself…Where Can You Improve?

 Physical Health?  Social Connectedness?  How You Think?  Living in the Present?

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Final Thoughts

 Your Resilience is Dynamic…things can get better.  Do Something!  Remind Yourself that these changes are

connected to Your Goals

 Seek Help if you’re struggling

 Teachers  Counselors  Mentors  Therapists