2019 is finally here and we would like to share some habits we think would help you to triumphantly get through this year. It is time to get to be where you always dreamed you could be but have maybe strayed from the path. In times of great difficulty, you don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training. The more training you have the more opportunity you will achieve. Luck is a series of two things coming into fruition at one time, opportunity and preparation. These habits will prepare you for the opportunities that will appear in this New Year.

Say yes more often than saying no. Saying yes to something you previously would have been uninclined to do will move you out of your comfort zone and into new territory. In this landscape, we learn so much more about ourselves and how our insecurities hold us back from the life we were destined to live. The more frequently we can be out of our element the more we will grow. Say yes to asking out your crush, taking on more than your share at work, getting up earlier to go to the gym. We are all so much more capable than we think.

Make your bed in the morning. By performing this simple task you start the day off by having a win. You performed a task that you did not think to be important or having much merit, but in contrast, you have actually trained yourself to go the extra mile. This behavior also gives you ownership over the situation you have created and take pride in rectifying them. The U.S military makes their boot camp soldiers make their bed every morning and is where this philosophy has been developed from.

Take ownership of your problems in life. When you own the problem you also own the win you get from the solution. Playing the victim of your life will not develop any form of success, only hardship, and sorrow. Take some time out of your day whether that be in the shower or in the car on the way to work and state, out loud, 5 things you are thankful for. We all get caught up in the problems that affect us each day and somehow forget the things we have that are positive in our life. Hate your boss? Be happy for your home, your family, or any other sort of benefit you have. No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, just remember how good you actually have it.

A powerful perspective and growth fueled mindset will propel you farther into a more well-developed character than carrying on in the mundane trenches of fear.

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The dichotomy of life is that in order for there to be light, there must be dark. It is vital to understand that if everything were to be great all of the time then the appreciation for it would dissipate entirely. When darkness is around us we will always have one thing to keep us affixed to help us with struggling through the journey, hope. The practice of mindfulness shows you that there are a tremendous amount of things in your life that are going well, this will help you to center your current perspective.

Starting your journey to living a mindful life will be arguably the hardest part. Shifting your train of thought from only seeing the negative to positive can be achieved in various matters. One is meditation, this will help you identify with your problems in a more objective sense. When ideas enter your mind pretend like you are observing clouds moving in and then out of your mind. Recognize they are there but just let them pass through and out making way for others to enter and pass. Meditating can be performed adequately with only 5-10 minutes and you will be surprised how many thoughts you actually have in that time span.

Intimately knowing the cause of your emotions is important for you to deeply understand on your journey to mindfulness. Anxiety is the response of being too caught up in future events, depression is caused by being too worried about past events. When you are at peace, you have achieved clarity of being in the moment. It is important for us to learn from our previous mistakes and have some ideas of goal planning for the future but it is vital for our mental health to appreciate what we have going for us now. When moving into this state of mind look at your surroundings; see the trees for all their beauty, feel the clothes on your body, and focus more of your vision out of your primary focal point and into your peripheral vision. This state of being pulls anxiety out of your life and centers you in your current situation.

Mindfulness can be one of the greatest tools we have in our toolbox, but it is important to keep it sharpened for those challenging times. Over time you will see a dramatic shift in your perspective as well as prosperity in your life. This is not a superpower but you will feel like you have one after you are done though.

Having a hard time with mindfulness? Check out the link for some extra tips.

We’ve all been there before, its the third day of your New Year’s resolution and heading to the gym doesn’t sound as appealing as continuing your 2nd week of binge-watching The Office. The psychology behind this is simple, something you have established as a habit has a tremendously higher pull than the new activity you wish to pursue. It is proven that new habits take anywhere between two-three weeks to develop. This is where discipline and mental toughness will be your best partners throughout this trifling journey.

Fewer than 10% of all people that set their resolution follow through for more than a month. One of the most crucial things that you can establish when it comes to sticking with your difficult life change is determining what your goal is. Whether that be losing weight, being more positive, or finally growing into the person you are destined to become. You need to also have an answer set in your mind that is there to confront your internal dialogue when the going gets tough. When your alarm goes off and hitting that snooze button for the 3rd time seems like it’s not that big of a deal, you are wrong. A precedence for the day has been set; you are willing to tap out before the going even begins to get tough. You need to have an answer ready and at attention to go to battle with the snooze button so you can get up and get moving.

A justification for your lack of execution on your resolution will derail you from your goals faster than anything. Saying things like “I’ll work out harder tomorrow to make up for this cake today” is the echo of your previous self pulling you back into your old habits. Put yourself out on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and check in on those platforms to let people know how you are doing. Making yourself accountable for your actions can help keep you affixed to them because now it’s not just you who will see if you stray from your journey. Make sure to keep that momentum going though. It is one of the most powerful things you could ever have behind you driving you forward.

Sometimes we all need a little help with our resolutions and imagine how far you will be along when a whole year comes to a close. Would you rather be crushing your goals or still on that couch looking for the next T.V show on Netflix?

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Here at Sage Neuroscience, we believe that the first steps in achieving happiness begin with establishing patterns of behavior that aid you in successfully dealing with anxiety. The crippling abyss that anxiety can provoke in your life is generally a construct that is built in your mind due to being too heavily invested in future possibilities that have yet to play themselves out. The chemicals that your body creates for this is; serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and norepinephrine. Now normally all of these chemicals are adequately balanced, but under normal feelings of anxiety, they become unbalanced. This results in that oh so unpleasant Sunday night terror knowing how you’ve neglected or fear your responsibilities for Monday.

Breathing is the most simple and surprisingly effective tool we keep in the back of our head to combat those early stages of panic. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose taking at least 3 seconds to pull in air, then exhale through your pursed lips again slowly. This type of exaggerated breathing aids in relaxation and an introduction of more oxygen into your body. If after your breathing exercises you still have that feeling of anxiety we recommend you move onto stretching your body. Let’s say for instance that you are inexperienced, we then suggest a yoga class or go online to view some video tutorials for basic stretching. This process takes more time than the simple breathing strategy stated above but holds more benefit due to the distraction your body now has over your mind and the endorphins released by your body in response to this new stimulus.

Strenuous physical activity plays a significant role in the staving away of anxiety by putting your mind into a state of full concentration. Whether it’s because you are on a long bike ride concerned about your bodies fatigue level or you are skiing on the side of mountain focused on keeping your technique up to par. These arduous types of activities pull us out of our head and into our body to readjust the perspective you are currently viewing the situation through that is causing your anxiety. Exercise is a requirement by the body, and if that area of your life is being neglected, then you might have a higher proclivity towards anxious thoughts than others around you.

Normal feelings of anxiety are an evolutionary response put in place to keep you wary of what the future might hold for you as well as to aid in long-term planning. Fast forward to the day and age we live in, and it is not uncommon for people to feel anxious for entire months before the feeling dissipates. Learning to deal adequately with these situations will put you leaps and bounds ahead of where you would be in the circumstance where you let those anxiety monsters run around unchecked by your mental fortitude and discipline.

During a person’s childhood, they experience a variety of unforeseen traumatic events whether they be abuse, loneliness, or neglect. These manifest themselves in adult life in anxiety disorders, self-sabotage, or any gamut of symptoms. A positive emotional upbringing reinforces in a child’s mind that life can be tough and unfair, but a healthy perspective can make the difference in the way an outcome affects you. A person’s behavior can be seen being established as early as kindergarten in the way they interact with their peers.

Most children that grow up being abused see that type of behavior as normal and accepted behavior, this comfortability in a violent act almost always results in abuse of their spouse and children, unfortunately. A vicious cycle then plays out over generations of that family until one recognizes the fallacy and preposterous nature of that idea, this is only predominantly healed through education for most people. A thorough understanding of a child’s suggestibility is imperative knowledge for parents who struggle with their own emotions and actions to help propel their child into a prosperous life.

Even in high school people are still developing a lot of their life habits, an idea of self, and where they feel they fit into society. A phenomenon that a large majority of high school students see themselves fall into is something referred to as “adolescent pseudomature behavior”. This essentially is acting at a higher maturity level than they currently occupy. This type of social signaling is a claw to the top of the highest echelon in whatever circle they might find themselves in. A social ladder that we climb every day with our peers and our professional relationships acted out all between the ages of 5 to 18 on a smaller scale.

Parents that find themselves being able to adequately handle poor situations in life almost always exhibit children with the same ability to do so. This is why it is so crucial to developing constructive habits for dealing with poor situations so that as we age, we can bring a positive light to those that we interact with and maybe even in some circumstances, our own children.