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SITE:  “Growth mindsets of self-regulation & the influences on effort & perseverance”

 

SELF- REGULATION TOOLS
🔘 Be assertive, not aggressive – Don’t crumble when someone is pressuring you. EXP : Stand your ground when a salesperson is trying to upsell you or trying to make the sale by making you feel anxious

🔘 Body Awareness & Sensations – Include exercises in your schedule, to clear everyday stress. Stay mentally awake to keep a check on how your body reacts to different situations & sensations

🔘 Compliment Someone – Doing this every day makes you emotionally stronger, & improves relationship with people you deal with or who pass thru your life.
EXP: ‘That’s a beautiful scarf”  //  ‘I enjoyed your talk”

🔘 Express Yourself – Communicate emotions in healthy ways, both verbally as well as in artistic activities (dance, design, paint, read /write, sing….).  Consistently doing anything you love aligns your mind and body to be more coordinated/unified

🔘 Form a Bedtime Routine – Add a special activity before sleeping as a self-reg strategy. EXP : Read a chapter, thank God for the day, brush your teeth, listen to a soothing visualization….

🔘 Have Intimate Conversations – rather than be superficial, stonewall, avoid, or flee. EXP: Your partner wants to talk about having another baby & you absolutely have no such intention. Take time to calm yourself, think thru how you want to express your feelings & point of view – always using “I” statements.
Don’t give in but don’t attack.

🔘 Identify Emotions – Emotional literacy is the ability to notice & accept all your feelings, as well as those of others. Improve emotional S-R skills by understanding why you feel certain ways & find healthy tools to manage them, instead of suppressing or acting them out on others

🔘 Make a Gratitude List – List them in your journal, regularly review all the things you love, to keep reminding you of goodness in life & a reason to keep going/ growing

🔘 Reframe Negative Thoughts – Most people have negative thoughts sometimes, but strong self-regulators make sure to find solutions or alternatives to feeling hopeless or being a victim of circumstances. Stop as soon as a negative thought shows up & reframe it into a positive belief or solution

🔘 Reinforcement – Reward yourself with something exciting & special – when you’ve achieved a goal.
EXP:  You’ve finally finished that project that took all your brains & perseverance. Now take the time to rest or what fills your heart with quiet happiness. Do something fun you’ve been putting off that doesn’t have to ‘lead to’ an outcome.

🔘 Practice Mindful breathing techniques every day to keep you ‘sane’ & present in the now. It minimizes stress, anxiety & anger, which ultimately helps stay in S-R. Christian prayer & Bible reading (like the Psalms – dramatized) also provide comfort & self-control info to guide your actions, especially in tough times

🔘 Positive Self-Talk – Affirmations like “I’m ok just the way I am, I can do this, I know what I know”…. encourages you to function at your best & keep on trying, even when frustrated or can’t see the outcome

🔘 Supplements – Many health problems can be linked to nutritional deficiencies.  Add supplements to support Mind-Body Health, making S-R easier to practice.  EXP :  Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, Calcium, Folate Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc…. for physical, emotional & cognitive health

🔘 Tolerate awkwardness – Communicate clearly & directly when it makes sense to do this, even when feeling awkward. EXP : When you need to explain to someone why you’ve decided not to use their services, having to go back on a promise, cancel a date or appointment….

🔘 Visualizations – Use imagination to create a mental picture as a motivation to pursue goals, TO :
▷ increase confidence   ▷reduce stress ▷ rehearse a scenario the way you want it to turn out   ▷  prepare for a big even at work or personal life  ▷stay connected to your Inner Child & Higher Power

🔘 Wait – Be willing to delay gratification in order to continue working toward a desired goal. Waiting does NOT mean ‘No or Never”- just “Later”. 😣
EXP : You’re trying to lose weight, so you wait ’till tomorrow to eat the rest of the dessert you made since you’ve already had one portion

NEXT : STRESS & Body Parts + Relaxation