How to Build Good Habits

Institute Editorial Team 01/15/2023

Habits have been described as repeated actions that arise from some kind of internal or external trigger (Robbins & Costa, 2017). Often, these habits exist in particular contexts. For example, Billy might have a habit of smoking a cigarette when he drinks alcohol. Sharon might have a habit of brushing her teeth before bed. And Mark might have a habit of biting his nails when he’s nervous. Habits—both good and bad—are closely related to our goals. Since habits are just things we do regularly, they can contribute to —or deter us from—achieving the things we want to achieve. That’s why building good habits—and perhaps getting rid of some bad ones—is so important for building the lives we want to lead. So what are some good…

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Categories: Institute of Women, Wellness & Work, Personal Energy Management, Self-care, Subscriber Content

Tags: self-care, Stress Management

Institute Editorial Team

10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before My Dad’s Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

When someone receives an Alzheimer’s or other dementia related diagnosis, there is an array of emotions for the patient and their family – disbelief, denial, anger, loss, confusion and so much fear. What will this mean for our family? Before my dad received the first diagnosis of “mild cognitive impairment,” we knew things were off. He’d gotten lost a few times and was repeating himself, but it was all manageable. His friendly personality and quick wit was a good cover, but dementia is a relentless foe and it marched on. As my siblings and our mother adapted to a new normal, things would change again and again. Our wonderful dad passed away a few months ago, giving me some time to reflect on his Alzheimer’s journey.…

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Anne Murphy Brown, J.D. 08/23/2021

Tips for Setting Long-Term Goals

Goals, broadly speaking, are defined as the desired states that we seek to obtain, maintain, or avoid (Nair, 2003). Long-term goals can be defined as the set of goals that need a longer period of time to achieve. For example, they could be goals related to our education, career, relationships, fitness, etc. Long-term goals require planning and sustained effort, so they can be a bit trickier to achieve than shorter-term goals. Here are some tips to get you started. How to Reach Long-Term Goals 1. Set specific and challenging goals. It turns out that we achieve more by setting specific goals that are a little bit bigger or challenging, but not too challenging. If we set easy goals, we often don’t achieve as much as…

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Institute Editorial Team 04/03/2023

Prioritizing Wellness Isn’t Easy. Don’t Worry, You Can Make a Plan for That!

Prioritizing Wellness and work-life balance are important. Yet why does it feel so impossible to achieve? Life is a juggling act.

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Jessica Headley, Ph.D., LPCC-S 02/12/2021

What is Positive Reinforcement?

Learn how to harness this powerful principle to improve your life and the lives of others. Positive reinforcement is the process of increasing the future probability of some behavior by following that behavior with a pleasant or desirable consequence (Scott et al, 2017). In other words, positive reinforcement is when you act or behave in a certain way, get something that you like, and then become more likely to act or behave in that way again. When you log in to Instagram and see that your latest post has received a lot of likes and comments, you may find yourself checking Instagram more often. Similarly, when you visit the vending machine and get a delicious snack, you may find yourself making more trips to the…

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Institute Editorial Team 05/22/2023

woman looking up at sky thinking, showing mental performance

Mental performance and you: 10 things you need to know

Our mental performance, how we think, analyze, and perceive the world, influences how we work, tackle challenges, relate to others, manage stress and more. Where we choose to put our focus has a tremendous impact on how we feel and perform in our day-to-day lives. Julie Jones, Mental Performance Coach and Institute instructor, specializes in helping people boost their mental game, and in teaching them how mental training, positivity and self-awareness can help us do better in our jobs, our personal lives, as leaders, as athletes, and as members of the community. As a former Division I softball coach, Julie specializes in training athletes in mental performance techniques. The same brain strategies that can help a softball player improve her swing can help us all…

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Institute Editorial Team 08/02/2021

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