Being in the “dog days of summer”, a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence, some of our feelings of being overwhelmed and discouraged may be in part due to the time of the year. Rather than berating and questioning yourself, this can be a time of rest and rejuvenation. A time to take a break so that you can be better prepared for the next set of challenges that are offered to us. Taking breaks helps us re-evaluate our goals, helps us retain information and make connections , and keeps us from getting bored, fatigued and unfocused. We can experience this down time to enhance our sense of self-control. While we will never have total control of our environment or world, we can develop a higher level of control by understanding how our actions influence outcomes. Knowing that we can have a positive impact on our future by further building our personal resources and strengths, enhances our resolve to move forward in purposeful ways.
Key Takeaways
The “dog days of summer” may be contributing to our feelings of being overwhelmed and discouraged.
Taking breaks is necessary to strengthening our resolve.
Further building our resources that enhance an internal sense of control, better prepares us for future opportunities.
Best Practices
Learn to “Go with the Flow."
Use this time to sort things out.
Enjoy the bounty of the local harvest.
Things to Limit
Unintentional eating.
Berating ourselves for taking a break.
Minimizing our strengths and talents.
Quote of the Week
“When you get stronger everything in the world gets easier. Change yourself and you’ve changed everything.”
~ Hunter Post
In summary, how we view and approach our down time is a precursor to how successful we will be in reaching our future hopes and aspirations. Realizing that setbacks or down time are part of living and that they have much to teach us is an important lesson of life to be aware of and to relish.
Be well,
Dr. Francis L. Battisti, PhD and Dr. Helen E. Battisti PhD
The paraDocs
Check our Welcome Greeting on YouTube
The paraDocs are Dr. Francis L. Battisti, PhD, Psychotherapist, Distinguished Psychology Professor and former Executive V.P and Chief Academic Officer and Dr. Helen E. Battisti PhD, RDN, CDN, Chief Nutrition Officer at SpNOD, Health Promotion Specialist, Research and Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and former Assistant Professor.
We have developed "The ZONE", because that is exactly where you want to be during this pandemic. A place of focused attention to doing exactly what needs to be done to get you to where you need to be. The purpose of The Zone is to provide a nationally distributed weekly mental-health and nutrition tip-sheet during times of change.
If you would like to get copies of The ZONE that you may have missed or if you know someone that would like to start receiving The ZONE, please signup today... It's free and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Permission is given to share with others.
댓글