September 26, 2025 in Blog by Dee

Own Your Morning, Transform Your Day

By: Centerstone

A strong morning routine is more than just a set of tasks to check off before starting the day. It’s a powerful tool for setting the tone for the hours ahead. The way we begin our mornings has a profound impact on our productivity and mindset. Whether it’s taking a few moments for mindfulness or organizing our to-do list, a thoughtful morning routine can help you have a more focused and positive day.

Lynda Killoran, a Licensed Therapist at Centerstone, says that there are seven key elements of a solid morning routine that can help set you up for success throughout your day.

1. Wake up at the same time every day
   • This helps regulate your body’s natural alarm clock, keeping you on a regular schedule.
2. Don’t hit the snooze button
   • Apply the 3-second rule when it comes to getting out of bed. If you get out of bed before counting to three, you are less likely to talk yourself into staying in bed longer.
3. Make your bed
   • “Making your bed puts your bed to rest, so to speak, making it easier for you to put that part of the day behind you,” Killoran adds.
4. Fuel your body
   • You don’t necessarily have to eat immediately after you wake up, but it’s always good to fuel your body at some point in the morning.
5. Do activities that tend to get interrupted during the day
   • For example, take advantage of the quiet morning hours to journal, meditate, or enjoy your coffee outside.
6. Movement
   • Whether you go for a bike ride, go to the gym, or do some light stretching at home, movement helps get your energy flowing and can be a beneficial way to start the day.
7. Set an agenda for the day
   • Setting intentions and goals for the day can help keep you on track to successfully complete them.

If you’re looking to develop or enhance your morning routine, remember it’s okay to start small. “Start with a 5% change, just one thing you can add to your existing routine or begin doing in the mornings that would make a small difference in your day,” Killoran says. You might start by making your bed or waking up just five minutes earlier. From there, continue building on your routine until it feels both satisfying and sustainable. Check in with yourself regularly to ensure it’s still working for you and make adjustments as needed.

A consistent morning routine can set us up for success in several important ways. It increases productivity by adding structure and intention to the start of the day. Having control over our mornings creates a sense of stability, which can be especially valuable when the rest of the day may be unpredictable. This sense of control also boosts our energy and confidence, helping us begin the day on a positive note.

Because our mornings shape the rest of our day, it’s also important to be mindful of what we should avoid. For instance, consider your news intake. While staying informed is important, consuming negative headlines first thing may feel overwhelming. Likewise, try not to begin your day with emotionally heavy tasks or difficult conversations, especially if they’re likely to be stressful. Save those for when you’re more mentally prepared.

September 26, 2025 in Blog by Dee

How Setting Goals Can Positively Impact Our Mental Health

By: Centerstone

Sometimes, goals and expectations can feel impossible to keep up with. However, instead of focusing on what you’re not getting done, take the time to think about what you want to achieve. After all, goals represent things you want the most, and the best way to make yourself happy is by making achievable goals.

The important thing to remember about setting and creating goals for yourself is having a plan of how you’re going to get there. Ask yourself, How am I going to accomplish this goal? Having big resolutions and plans for yourself is a great start, but in order to get there, it can be helpful to create small, more achievable objectives in between that will get you closer to reaching that goal.

When you achieve your goals, it can make you feel proud of yourself and boost your self-esteem. “Goals can do wonders for your mental health,” says Rebecka Warren, Clinic Manager at Centerstone, “The hope is that they can add more happiness in your life and alleviate whatever struggles you might be going through during this time of year.” Some of the benefits of completing goals are to provide a sense of direction, keep yourself accountable, and shed light on your sense of self.

When you are setting goals for yourself, it is important to know yourself and your limitations. If you fail to consider aspects that are detrimental to completing your goals, then you might be setting yourself up to fail. To help you in the journey to achieving happiness through healthy goal setting, here are some tips to help:

• Know yourself. “Be honest about your ability to do something. If you know that in the past you haven’t been good at something, be realistic in your goal,” says Warren. Avoid having daily goals for things that you haven’t done before, and start small. Try to work your way up to something rather than expecting perfection immediately.
• Small objectives. Take a look at what you’ve got around you, and start by making smaller changes in your lifestyle. Instead of extreme elimination or extreme activity, try to slowly offer yourself options and alternatives. “Broad goals need to be focused on. Try to integrate something you can do in your daily life to help you achieve your goals,” says Warren.
• Accountability team. Having support from friends and family can often encourage us to succeed. You may find it helpful to find a trusted person in your life to help offer you support and hold you accountable in your journey to achieving your goals. Having an accountability partner is a great way to measure your progress and stay on track.
• Healthy expectations. You only have so much control over your goals and the outcomes due to outside circumstances. Things such as moving, birth, death, and the weather can disrupt your goals. Try to be accepting and forgiving of yourself, and know that any progress is good progress. If you had a goal to do something five times a week and you only did it four times, that’s still an achievement worth celebrating. Remember, you can keep trying to build on those accomplishments!

Goals aren’t meant to cause stress and worry, so try to find something that will make you happy. You have the power to create happiness in the future.

September 26, 2025 in Blog by Dee

How Music Heals: The Benefits of Music on the Mind, Body, and Soul

By: Centerstone

Music is more than just entertainment; it’s a powerful tool that can enhance both our physical health and mental well-being. Whether you’re listening to your favorite playlist during a workout or playing an instrument to unwind, music can have a profound impact on the human body and mind.

How does music impact the brain?

According to Mallory Friedel, Wellness Coach at Centerstone, “music impacts almost every part of the brain.” It can stimulate the frontal lobe, reduce stress, and lower our heart rate and blood pressure – all things that help relax the brain. Additionally, listening to music can help improve memory. Take the ABC song, for example. Connecting the letters to a song helps make them easier to learn and remember, and is more effective than trying to learn the letters individually. Another benefit of listening to music is that it can be beneficial for our sleep. Studies have shown that listening to soft music before going to sleep increases your chances of staying asleep and having a full rest.

How are music and mental health connected?

Music and mental health are deeply linked through the way music influences brain function, emotions, and stress responses. Listening to music can stimulate the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain associated with pleasure and reward, which can elevate mood and reduce feelings of depression. Music can also help lower our cortisol levels, which is the hormone related to stress. Because of this, music can be used as an effective tool for anxiety relief and relaxation. Additionally, people often connect with lyrics that express feelings or experiences they may struggle to put into words themselves.

“Music can provide a safe space to work through things that you may not be ready to or feel comfortable saying out loud,” Fridel adds. “It can stir up different emotions that may be hard to process.”

What is music therapy, and how does it work?

Music therapy uses music and its elements, like rhythm and sounds, to help people address their mental health concerns and may involve things like singing, moving to, or creating music. This type of therapy works by engaging different areas of the brain to help address a patient’s specific concerns and can be used to treat depression, anxiety, and even trauma.

Just Jam!

In all, music is good for the mind, body, and soul. Listening to music that boosts your mood can set you up for success during your day, help lift you when you’re down, or even just provide space for a much-needed mid-day dance break. No matter what kind of music you like, allow it to work its magic when you need it.

September 26, 2025 in Blog by Dee

The Power of Saying No

By: Centerstone

Learning when to say “no” and when to say “yes” is a powerful act of self-awareness. Setting boundaries isn’t about being selfish; it’s about making intentional choices that align with your values, energy, and goals. Saying “no” can protect your time and well-being, while saying “yes” at the right moments can open doors to growth and connection. Mastering this equilibrium is key to living a more balanced life.

First, let’s talk burnout. Burnout is the state of emotional, mental, or physical exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. While there are several different factors that can lead to burnout, the lack of setting boundaries can be a primary factor for many people. Saying “no” is a key boundary-setting skill that can take time to develop. People-pleasing tendencies also tend to contribute to burnout. This may look like saying yes to or committing to things when you’re already at capacity in an effort not to disappoint others.

Though saying “no” to someone can feel intimidating, keep in mind that it is possible (and important) to stand firm while also remaining kind.

• “I appreciate the offer, but I am unable to help at this time.”
• “Thank you, but I’m not interested.”
• “I’m flattered, but I am unable to commit.”
• “I can’t, but maybe another time.”

Brief statements like these are polite yet also set a firm boundary that allows you to protect your energy.

When it comes to identifying your “yes,” there are a few considerations to keep in mind. First, ask yourself questions: “What does my gut say?”, “What is my intention in saying ‘yes’ to this?”, “How much of my time and energy will this require?”. By taking a moment to answer these questions, you can ensure that you are taking the time to thoroughly think through the situation and its potential outcomes.

Figuring out when to say “yes” and when to say “no” can be a challenging balancing act. However, it’s important to remember that a balance between downtime and social time is crucial when it comes to prioritizing your well-being. While picking up that extra work shift or going to a concert with friends may feel like an easy “yes” in the moment, don’t forget to consider your needs and determine if this additional activity will help meet them. Rest is both productive and essential. Not only does rest help prevent burnout, but it also helps you connect with yourself, creating time for you to tune in to your feelings and needs, which can be hard to do when you overcommit. Additionally, rest is not the opposite of productivity – it helps make productivity possible! In this scenario, rest can look different for everyone. It could mean turning off your phone for an hour or two, taking a nap, taking a walk, or going for a drive. Ultimately, you need to consider your needs and what makes the most sense for you in the moment.

Ultimately, the power of saying “no” and knowing when to say “yes” comes down to honoring your needs and priorities. Trust that both your “no” and your “yes” carry weight, and that using them wisely is a form of self-respect and strength. 

August 7, 2025 in Blog by Dee

Great Leadership Starts With Self-Awareness

By: Chinwe Esimai

Self-awareness has been cited as the most important capability for leaders to develop, according to the authors of “How To Become a Better Leader,” which was published in the MIT Sloan Management Review. Successful leaders know where their natural inclinations lie and use this knowledge to boost those inclinations or compensate for them.

Yet self-awareness seems to be in short supply among leaders. While women in executive-level management positions tend to exhibit more self-awareness than men in the same positions, the overall percentages suggest there is much opportunity for growth in this area. In a study of 17,000 individuals worldwide, the Hay Group Research found that 19 percent of women executives interviewed exhibited self-awareness as compared to 4 percent of their male counterparts. Here are some tips on how to be more self-aware

Knowing You

The one constant factor in all your endeavors is you; understanding yourself is therefore paramount.

Dr. Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, describes self-awareness as one of the core components of emotional intelligence. He defines emotional intelligence as your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.

Self-awareness is empowering because it arms you with knowledge and enables you to make better choices — to change or grow. Here are four strategies to increase your self-awareness:

Identify External Factors

Identify what factors, triggers, or indicators – both negative and positive – prompt others’ behaviors toward you. Why do you do the things you do, and how do others respond? How do you respond in turn, and why do you react the way you do? What is the impact of culture on your perspective and others’ perceptions?

Gather Trusted Feedback

Feedback leads to empathy and helps you understand the impact of your actions on others. One of the key indicators of low self-awareness is being unaware of personal blind spots—traits or aspects that may limit the way you act, react, behave, or believe, and in turn, limit your effectiveness.

Consider the Circumstances

Think about when to utilize a personality trait to your advantage and when it’s best to leave it on the sidelines. According to the MIT study, most self-aware CEOs learned to identify their “outlier tendencies” and adjusted their behavior in order to change the way they were perceived. They didn’t undergo an entire personality overhaul; rather, they learned how to be themselves but “with more skill.” The executives considered which business or social situations required their personality traits (for example, extraversion or openness) and which did not.

Assess Behaviors in Light of Your Values and Priorities

Do you observe patterns in your behaviors? Assess those patterns in light of what is important to you, what drives you, and who you want to be. Be honest in assessing competing priorities. Are there tendencies that you’d like to change? Are there factors you’d like to add to the equation? The best outcome of self-awareness is to figure out what makes you great and be more of it. Continually add to that list, refine it, and build on it. Conversely, seek to be less of what negatively impacts you, those around you, and your desired outcomes.

Stay Curious

Our inclinations, fueled by our culture, backgrounds, and experiences, influence who we are, but we are responsible for who we continually become. New circumstances can also create new triggers or lead to different reactions. Stay curious, and don’t stop seeking to understand yourself.

August 7, 2025 in Blog by Dee

How To Get Good Sleep

By: Centerstone

Sleep is a vital part of every person’s daily routine as it provides a necessary recharge to your body and mind. Good sleep refreshes you, makes you feel more alert, and gives you the energy you need throughout the day. Getting too little sleep will cause you to be less focused and more forgetful.

“Sleep is a necessary mood booster,” says Julie Bailey, Clinical Manager for Centerstone. “You actually process your emotions when you sleep, so getting too little sleep can make you more irritable and stressed.” Good sleep also boosts creativity, which improves self-esteem and productivity and lowers stress.

How long should I sleep?

We all know the golden standard of 8 hours, but is this a healthy expectation? Short answer: mostly yes, for adults. Experts say that 7-9 hours is a healthy daily amount of sleep for adults to get. These numbers increase, however, for younger groups. Teens should get 8-10 hours of sleep, school-age kids 9-12 hours, pre-school-age kids 10-13 hours, and so on.

“These standards for sleep may vary from person to person, as some adults may truly need only 7 hours to function normally, and others need 9 or more,” says Julie Bailey. “But 7 hours of sleep should be the minimum goal for most adults.”

As previously stated, not getting enough sleep dampens your energy and mindfulness. On the other hand, getting too much sleep can do the same. Sleeping too much, say 10 hours a day, can actually make you more depressed. Depression also makes you more tired, making you want to sleep more, thus causing a vicious cycle.

While the length of time you spend asleep is important, so is the quality of your sleep. The sleep cycle works in several stages, and sleep is best when you go through each stage. Therefore, what you do before bed matters, as staying asleep helps ensure you go through each stage.

Optimizing sleep

Fortunately, there are several methods experts recommend for getting good sleep. Below are several recommendations to help you optimize your sleep.

• Keep it consistent. It is much easier to achieve regular sleep when you set a good rhythm for yourself. Establish a sleep routine, going to bed and waking up simultaneously every day. The longer you do this, the easier it will be, and the better you will feel!
• Turn off your screens. The light from your phone, computer, and TV screens negatively impacts your brain’s melatonin levels, disrupting sleep. This, and the stimulation from watching your favorite shows, make falling asleep harder. If you do need help falling asleep, instead try listening to relaxing music, an audiobook, or sleep stories to help soothe you to sleep.
• Manage your nighttime routine. What you do before bed matters. In the hours before bed, you should avoid caffeine, nicotine, sugar, and alcohol, as they all either make it harder to fall asleep or disrupt your sleep once it has already started. Avoid exercising too soon before bed, as it will take time for your body to cool down. Control light, decreasing it throughout the evening to more naturally get tired.
• Don’t psych yourself out. If you are worried that you will have trouble falling asleep, you likely will. This concern becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of difficulty sleeping. To take the pressure off yourself, approach sleep from a mindset of relaxing and unwinding rather than just trying to fall asleep.
• Manage your stress. If you don’t manage your stress during the day, it will follow you into the night, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. If you choose to tackle your problems instead of ignoring them, you will both fall asleep and wake up the next morning more peacefully.

August 7, 2025 in Blog by Dee

How Stress Management Can Benefit Your Physical and Mental Health

By: Centerstone

There are a multitude of reasons that people find themselves stressed in their daily life. Some points of stress are situational, or they can be more general—like family, work, school, and personal relationships. Stress can be overwhelming to endure alone, and without helpful ways of managing it, it can create havoc in the mind and body.

Stress is a biochemical reaction to something that creates tension—whether that is emotional or physical. When we experience stress, our brain goes on “high alert” as it prepares our body to respond to whatever situation is at hand. In these moments, our body begins a complex process, part of which is to release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, essentially preparing the body to fight, flee, or freeze. While this process can be lifesaving in truly dangerous situations, experiencing this stress reaction on an ongoing basis can have detrimental health consequences.

The responses caused by stress are normal and can be very useful. Stress helps us do well on tests or perform well at work. Stress helps us slam on the brakes when a car in front of us stops suddenly. However, stress can also cause physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral difficulties including nausea, racing thoughts, inconsistent sleep, anxiety, panic attacks, and difficulty concentrating.

If stress goes unaddressed it can lead to serious health issues like obesity, substance use disorder, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It is extremely important to monitor the responses you are having to stress and find ways to better manage them. If you are experiencing symptoms of stress, try using these practices to help:

• Setting boundaries. Create reasonable boundaries to help with self-preservation. Say “no” when you feel overwhelmed. Keep your mental health in mind, and open up conversations with family, friends, and even coworkers about what you can or can’t manage.
• Practicing mindfulness. Be present in your surroundings. Be aware and know what makes you happy. Do something for the sake of making you happy that has no other purpose involved. Read the novel, play the videogame, and watch the TV show—make yourself feel comfortable and at ease.
• Choose your environment. Connect with people—be intentional with your environment. Have people around that can make you feel capable of doing anything! Encouragement is a great tool for dealing with stress.
• Be kind to yourself. Remember that you are a human, and there is only so much you can do. Give yourself grace and your brain a break. Understand that there are many people in similarly stressful situations.

Once you begin to eliminate some of the stressors in your life and learn to be patient with your process, then you can begin to manage your stress in more healthy ways. Take the time to connect with others, and understand that the process of eliminating stress is not always easy. If you have tried to better manage your stress, but find you are still struggling, it may be time to reach out to a mental health professional.  They can provide more tools on how to manage your stress and healthy tips for coping.

August 7, 2025 in Blog by Dee

Five Principles of Productive People

By: Centerstone

Do you feel like you are always busy but never get anything done? Many of us lead hectic and often stressful lives. There is always something to accomplish. Some days we are ready to complete a long to-do list. Other days we would rather spend hours on the couch.

Productivity takes effort, and it is well worth it in the long run. Follow these tips to simplify your life while improving productivity.

Be Aware: Busy Does Not Equal Productive

Sometimes multitasking can destroy productivity. Being busy, or trying to maintain an appearance of being busy, has nothing to do with productivity or authentic accomplishment. Just because you’re getting something done doesn’t mean it matters. Focus on the purpose of your tasks, one task at a time. Productivity is about meeting your goals, not just scratching things off your to-do list.

We often believe that completing tasks will make us happy, but the constant desire to finish things can actually produce feelings of anxiety. Remember that life is about the journey. Enjoy the challenge of the path. Break the multitasking habit by practicing mindfulness.

Be Specific: Identify Goals vs. Tasks  

It’s easy to confuse goals and tasks, and that confusion can lead to feelings of overwhelming pressure. It is vital to have a doable to-do list. It’s easy to get stuck if everything on your to-do list seems daunting. The purpose of a list is to capture actionable items or pre-defined tasks you will accomplish. Tasks are small steps that lead you closer to meeting your goals.

Perhaps your goal is to lose two pounds this week. Tasks will help you achieve that goal. Developing a meal plan, visiting the grocery store, and exercising each day are all tasks that will help you accomplish your objective. Break down large problems by focusing on small steps to help you reach your goal. Focus on tasks that give you the most return on your time investment and you will become more productive. Goals are very important, but having too many may cause you to lose focus, and you’ll end up not accomplishing any of them.

Be Smart: Organize and Prioritize

To be organized you must be aware of where your time is going. Create a time log and use it to analyze and summarize all your daily activities for a given week. Once you know the gaps in your productivity, you can build a new daily routine.

Categorize and prioritize your tasks. List your pre-planned activities in order of importance. These are the tasks you would complete in a day without interruptions. Next, list all unplanned tasks. This list includes incoming calls, instant messages, and requests from others. Unplanned tasks are usually part of most days and need to be processed continuously.

Be Intentional: Procrastination Robs Your Power

What tasks are you thinking of putting off until tomorrow? What projects have you started but can’t seem to finish? Are there items on your to-do list that roll over week after week? Procrastination is one of our biggest energy drainers. It’s easy to convince ourselves that life is more pleasant when we avoid things we don’t want to do. But instead, it adds stress, disorganization, failure, and guilt.

Procrastination can also cause missed deadlines, lost opportunities, tardiness, unnecessary expenses, and even health and medical problems. By overcoming procrastination habits you’ll gain a sense of energy and enthusiasm triggered by completing tasks.

Be Truthful: Admit Your Excuses

Evaluate what else is wasting your time. Self-generated time-wasters include disorganization, the inability to say no, gossiping, perfectionism, lack of delegation, and what is commonly known as the “paralysis of analysis.”

Sometimes we think too much about the same issue. Progress is delayed because we are thinking about the same thing over and over again. There are better ways to use your energy. Don’t waste time and energy repetitively thinking about something without finding a real solution.

Lastly, there can be such a thing as too much time management. Like laundry, a to-do list will never be completely done. The key is to be satisfied by your accomplishments of the day, even though you will never fully complete your to-do lists.

February 3, 2025 in Blog by Dee

The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

By: Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., and Melinda Smith, M.A.

You already know that exercise is good for your body. But did you know it can also boost your mood, improve your sleep, and help you deal with depression, anxiety, stress, and more?

What are the mental health benefits of exercise?

Exercise is not just about aerobic capacity and muscle size. Sure, exercise can improve your physical health and your physique, trim your waistline, improve your sex life, and even add years to your life. But that’s not what motivates most people to stay active.

People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. And it’s also a powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges.

Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a real difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to deal with mental health problems, improve your energy and outlook, and get more out of life.

Exercise and depression

Studies show that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication—but without the side-effects, of course. As one example, a recent study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%. In addition to relieving depression symptoms, research also shows that maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing.

Exercise is a powerful depression fighter for several reasons. Most importantly, it promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good. Finally, exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.

Exercise and anxiety

Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out.

Try to notice the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, for example, or the rhythm of your breathing, or the feeling of the wind on your skin. By adding this mindfulness element—really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise—you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head.

Exercise and stress

Ever noticed how your body feels when you’re under stress? Your muscles may be tense, especially in your face, neck, and shoulders, leaving you with back or neck pain, or painful headaches. You may feel a tightness in your chest, a pounding pulse, or muscle cramps. You may also experience problems such as insomnia, heartburn, stomachache, diarrhea, or frequent urination. The worry and discomfort of all these physical symptoms can in turn lead to even more stress, creating a vicious cycle between your mind and body.

Exercising is an effective way to break this cycle. As well as releasing endorphins in the brain, physical activity helps to relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body. Since the body and mind are so closely linked, when your body feels better so, too, will your mind.

Exercise and ADHD

Exercising regularly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of ADHD and improve concentration, motivation, memory, and mood. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus and attention. In this way, exercise works in much the same way as ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall.

Exercise and PTSD and trauma

Evidence suggests that by really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you can actually help your nervous system become “unstuck” and begin to move out of the immobilization stress response that characterizes PTSD or trauma. Instead of allowing your mind to wander, pay close attention to the physical sensations in your joints and muscles, even your insides as your body moves. Exercises that involve cross movement and that engage both arms and legs—such as walking (especially in sand), running, swimming, weight training, or dancing—are some of your best choices.

Outdoor activities like hiking, sailing, mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and skiing (downhill and cross-country) have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.

January 15, 2025 in Blog by Dee

Setting Goals and Keeping it Real

By: Centerstone

At a year’s end or beginning, many of us sit down and reflect on the past year, what’s to come, and how we can make positive changes for the next 12 months. Whether you want to quit smoking, read more, or learn a new skill, setting goals can be helpful stepping stones to achieving your desired life. Goals, however, can be hard to maintain for long periods. In fact, a 2022 Time Magazine study found that only 8% of people stick to their goals and resolutions for an entire year.  One challenge in fully executing our goals may be because they aren’t always realistic for us.

Why setting realistic goals is important, and how to know what’s realistic for you.

Realistic goals are more likely to keep you on track than larger, loftier goals. With a realistic goal, your chances for success and completion are higher which encourages continued, more sustainable improvement and progress.

Figuring out what is realistic for you may require some trial and error. What we think is realistic may not be, so having some flexibility is helpful. “Give yourself space to experiment and learn where you currently sit with your goal,” says Jenna Farmer-Brackett, Manager of Clinical Training at Centerstone.

Common pitfalls of goal setting and how to navigate them.

1. Not having a clear ‘why’ for wanting to achieve it. Sometimes, wanting to achieve something for the benefit or approval of someone else can make the goal seem like a chore, rather than something that motivates you.
2. Not taking time to celebrate victories. “Whether you track your progress in a journal, or have an accountability partner, keeping track of your progress toward your goal can help see it through,” adds Farmer-Brackett. “The key here is to celebrate all the victories and progress along the way!”
3. You are taking on too much. When you stick to fewer, more meaningful goals, it’s easier to track progress and stay with it throughout the year, or your designated timeline.
4. You’re taking an all-or-nothing approach. If you don’t hit your first benchmark right away, re-focus and re-asses your goal. It’s important to remember that goals can change as we do.
5. Not taking time to prepare. It can be harder to achieve goals without a specific plan in place to help you get there.

How to break up larger goals into smaller, more attainable ones.

To hit that milestone, it can be helpful to break it into smaller, more attainable goals in order to see progress sooner which ultimately will help with motivation. Keep the following steps in mind when looking at the big picture:

1. Define your goal, and make it as specific as possible.
2. Identify key milestones and identify the smaller, more attainable goals. Consider any major steps that need to be taken to reach your end goal, and create sub-goals that will help you achieve them.
3. List tasks for each of the smaller, more attainable goals. Figure out what you need to do each day or week to keep you on track for the big picture.
4. Prioritize and plan. Prioritize tasks based on the impact of achieving the overall goal.