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We will walk you through how to meditate properly, the benefits of regular meditation practice, and the various styles of meditation. Free guided audio meditations and resources.

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Need a fast way to calm down right now? Belly breathing is it! First timers: you might feel light headed at first, so be sure to breathe slowly.

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

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Fighting anxiety? Sensory grounding can kick your parasympathetic nervous system into gear to help you cope.

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Mindfulness is the practice of becoming more fully aware of the present moment-non-judgmentally and completely-rather than dwelling in the past or projecting into the future. It generally involves a heightened awareness of sensory stimuli (noticing your breathing, feeling the sensations of your body, etc.) and being "in the now."

If you are experiencing thoughts that cause great discomfort or unease, it might be time to begin a mindfulness practice to support coming back to the here and now, which can significantly reduce your level of stress.

How Do You Know?

There are some signs that practicing mindfulness might be beneficial in your life. You might want to give mindfulness a try if:

You are struggling with feelings of anxiety or depression.

You feel distracted or find it hard to concentrate.

You feel stressed.

You have a hard time practicing self-compassion.

You struggle with overeating or excessive snacking.

You tend to focus on negative emotions.

Your relationships with others are not as close or as strong as you would like.

Press Play for Advice on Building Self-Compassion

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Types of Mindfulness

There are a number of different forms of mindfulness meditation and other mindfulness-based interventions. These include:

Therapy options that incorporate mindfulness practices include:

How to Practice

Mindfulness can be achieved through meditation, but one can also practice mindfulness through daily living. Focusing on the present moment and quieting your inner dialogue can help you attain mindfulness.

Some ways that you can practice meditation in your daily life:

Pay attention: Take the time to notice things in the world around you, including your own feelings, senses, and thoughts. Focus on slowing down and enjoying the things you are experiencing.

Focus on the moment: Rather than thinking about the past or worrying about the future, try to just take in what is happening right in front of you. Being present in the moment can help you feel more mindful and aware.

Try mindfulness meditation: Regular practice of mindfulness meditation has benefits for your physical as well as your mental health.

For those who tend to get "antsy" during meditation (don't worry, you're not alone), there are other ways to ease into the practice of mindfulness. Gardening, listening to music, and even cleaning the house can become a practice in mindfulness if you take the right approach.

Focus on the present and quiet that voice inside-the one that offers the running commentary on what you're doing, what you've done, and what you will be doing. The goal isn't to silence what is happening in your mind. Instead, observe your thoughts without judgment and gently bring your focus back to the present when you notice your mind wandering.

Impact of Mindfulness

As Eastern practices gain more popularity in the West, mindfulness has been paired with cognitive therapy. Research shows some very promising results in a number of different areas. Practicing mindfulness, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) have all been found to be helpful with the following concerns.

Anxiety Disorders

People with anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), may experience significant reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms after a mindfulness-based intervention.﻿﻿ Mindfulness can also be used to decrease anxiety over the future. It can provide a break from stressful thoughts and allow you to take a mental break and gain perspective, among other things.

Depression

One study showed that people who experienced residual depressive symptoms following a depressive episode experienced a decrease in symptoms and ruminations following a mindfulness-based intervention, with further gains a month later.

Studies also show that mindfulness can be helpful in stopping ruminations over things that cause stress; it helps people keep from dwelling on negative thoughts.

Relationship Issues

One study found that people who exhibited greater mindfulness as a personality trait tended to enjoy greater satisfaction in relationships and deal with relationship stress more constructively.﻿﻿

The research also found that those who employ mindfulness have a lower stress response during the conflict and that the state of mindfulness was associated with better communication during conflicts. Both studies link mindfulness with relationship well-being.

Eating Disorders

One study found that mindfulness-based interventions could be effective for targeting eating behaviors including emotional eating and binge eating.﻿﻿

Stress Management

Studies have found mindfulness to be helpful with daily stresses as well as more serious stresses experienced by those with a chronic or life-threatening illness.﻿﻿ For example, research suggests that MBSR may be effective for improving the psychological health of people with breast cancer.﻿﻿

Mindfulness Tips

Learning to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life is not always easy. It may take some time and practice to learn to slow down and live in the moment. Some things that you can do that may help:

Try an app. If you are new to the practice of mindfulness, using an app that provides information, resources, and guided practices can be helpful for getting started.

Practice focusing on one thing at a time. Multitasking can leave you feeling distracted, so try simply concentrating on one task with your full, focused attention.

Go for a walk. Spending time outdoors on a gentle walk is a great way to live in the moment and observe the sights, sounds, and sensations of the world around you.

Be kind to yourself. Don't be harsh or judgmental if you find your mind wandering. Mindfulness is also about accepting yourself and treating yourself with compassion. Show yourself the same compassion and understanding that you would to a close friend.

Potential Pitfalls

While research suggests that mindfulness has a wide range of benefits, that does not mean that it is without potential adverse effects. One study on the impact of intensive meditation found that more than 60% of participants experienced at least one negative effect.﻿﻿

Some possible pitfalls include:

Increased anxiety or depression

Increased stress levels

More physical and somatic complaints

Research also suggests that higher levels of self-focused attention can lead to worsened mental health. This includes decreased ability to manage pain and increased anxiety.﻿﻿

It is important to note that context can play an important role in outcomes. Mindfulness used in a therapeutic setting and led by a trained professional may be more likely to produce desirable results while practicing alone or in a group without training or supervision may be more likely to produce unwanted effects.

History of Mindfulness

Mindfulness has a long history of both religious and secular practice. It was first popularized by Eastern religions including Hinduism and Buddhism thousands of years ago before being introduced to the West.

More recently, the practice of mindfulness has been combined with cognitive therapy in treatments aimed at reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. The practice continues to grow in popularity as research shows the many health benefits of mindfulness.

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Can Mindfulness Relieve More Than Stress?

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Mindfulness involves being purposely aware of the moment including your thoughts, sensations, and feelings. Learn about the benefits of mindfulness.

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If you've heard of or read about mindfulness meditation - also known as mindfulness - you might be curious about how to practice it. Find out how to do mindfulness exercises and how they might benefit you.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.

Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.

What are the benefits of meditation?

Meditation has been studied in many clinical trials. The overall evidence supports the effectiveness of meditation for various conditions, including:

Preliminary research indicates that meditation can also help people with asthma and fibromyalgia.

Meditation can help you experience thoughts and emotions with greater balance and acceptance. Meditation also has been shown to:

Improve attention

Decrease job burnout

Improve sleep

Improve diabetes control

What are some examples of mindfulness exercises?

There are many simple ways to practice mindfulness. Some examples include:

Pay attention. It's hard to slow down and notice things in a busy world. Try to take the time to experience your environment with all of your senses - touch, sound, sight, smell and taste. For example, when you eat a favorite food, take the time to smell, taste and truly enjoy it.

Live in the moment. Try to intentionally bring an open, accepting and discerning attention to everything you do. Find joy in simple pleasures.

Accept yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat a good friend.

Focus on your breathing. When you have negative thoughts, try to sit down, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your body. Sitting and breathing for even just a minute can help.

You can also try more structured mindfulness exercises, such as:

Body scan meditation. Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing up. Focus your attention slowly and deliberately on each part of your body, in order, from toe to head or head to toe. Be aware of any sensations, emotions or thoughts associated with each part of your body.

Sitting meditation. Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet flat on the floor and hands in your lap. Breathing through your nose, focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. If physical sensations or thoughts interrupt your meditation, note the experience and then return your focus to your breath.

Walking meditation. Find a quiet place 10 to 20 feet in length, and begin to walk slowly. Focus on the experience of walking, being aware of the sensations of standing and the subtle movements that keep your balance. When you reach the end of your path, turn and continue walking, maintaining awareness of your sensations.

When and how often should I practice mindfulness exercises?

It depends on what kind of mindfulness exercise you plan to do.

Simple mindfulness exercises can be practiced anywhere and anytime. Research indicates that engaging your senses outdoors is especially beneficial.

For more structured mindfulness exercises, such as body scan meditation or sitting meditation, you'll need to set aside time when you can be in a quiet place without distractions or interruptions. You might choose to practice this type of exercise early in the morning before you begin your daily routine.

Aim to practice mindfulness every day for about six months. Over time, you might find that mindfulness becomes effortless. Think of it as a commitment to reconnecting with and nurturing yourself.

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Show references

1. Bystritsky A. Complementary and alternative treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders: Physical, cognitive, and spiritual interventions. https://uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 14, 2018.

2. Seaward BL. Meditation and mindfulness. In: Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-being. 9th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2018.

3. Shapiro SL, et al. The Art and Science of Mindfulness: Integrating Mindfulness into Psychology and the Helping Professions. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association; 2017.

4. Lymeus F, et al. Building mindfulness bottom-up: Meditation in natural settings supports open monitoring and attention restoration. Consciousness and Cognition. 2018;59:40.

5. Blanck P, et al. Effects of mindfulness exercises as stand-alone interventions on symptoms of anxiety and depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2018;102:25.

6. AskMayoExpert. Meditation. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2018.

7. Khoury B, et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2015;78:519.

8. Practice mindfulness and relaxation. Springboard Beyond Cancer. https://survivorship.cancer.gov/springboard/stress-mood/practice-mindfulness. Accessed June 14, 2018.

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If you're interested in trying breathing exercises to reduce stress or anxiety, or improve your lung function, we've got 10 different ones to sample. You may find that certain exercises appeal to you right away. Start with those so that the practice is more enjoyable.

How to add breathing exercises to your day

Breathing exercises don't have to take a lot of time out of your day. It's really just about setting aside some time to pay attention to your breathing. Here are a few ideas to get started:

Begin with just 5 minutes a day, and increase your time as the exercise becomes easier and more comfortable.

If 5 minutes feels too long, start with just 2 minutes.

Practice multiple times a day. Schedule set times or practice conscious breathing as you feel the need.

This simple breathing technique makes you slow down your pace of breathing by having you apply deliberate effort in each breath.

You can practice pursed lip breathing at any time. It may be especially useful during activities such as bending, lifting, or stair climbing.

Practice using this breath 4 to 5 times a day when you begin in order to correctly learn the breathing pattern.

To do it:

1. Relax your neck and shoulders.

2. Keeping your mouth closed, inhale slowly through your nose for 2 counts.

3. Pucker or purse your lips as though you were going to whistle.

4. Exhale slowly by blowing air through your pursed lips for a count of 4.

Belly breathing can help you use your diaphragm properly. Do belly breathing exercises when you're feeling relaxed and rested.

Practice diaphragmatic breathing for 5 to 10 minutes 3 to 4 times per day.

When you begin you may feel tired, but over time the technique should become easier and should feel more natural.

To do it:

1. Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent and your head on a pillow.

2. You may place a pillow under your knees for support.

3. Place one hand on your upper chest and one hand below your rib cage, allowing you to feel the movement of your diaphragm.

4. Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling your stomach pressing into your hand.

5. Keep your other hand as still as possible.

6. Exhale using pursed lips as you tighten your stomach muscles, keeping your upper hand completely still.

You can place a book on your abdomen to make the exercise more difficult. Once you learn how to do belly breathing lying down you can increase the difficulty by trying it while sitting in a chair. You can then practice the technique while performing your daily activities.

This deep breathing technique uses imagery or focus words and phrases.

You can choose a focus word that makes you smile, feel relaxed, or that is simply neutral to think about. Examples include peace, let go, or relax, but it can be any word that suits you to focus on and repeat through your practice.

As you build up your breath focus practice you can start with a 10-minute session. Gradually increase the duration until your sessions are at least 20 minutes.

To do it:

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable place.

2. Bring your awareness to your breaths without trying to change how you're breathing.

3. Alternate between normal and deep breaths a few times. Notice any differences between normal breathing and deep breathing. Notice how your abdomen expands with deep inhalations.

4. Note how shallow breathing feels compared to deep breathing.

5. Practice your deep breathing for a few minutes.

6. Place one hand below your belly button, keeping your belly relaxed, and notice how it rises with each inhale and falls with each exhale.

7. Let out a loud sigh with each exhale.

8. Begin the practice of breath focus by combining this deep breathing with imagery and a focus word or phrase that will support relaxation.

9. You can imagine that the air you inhale brings waves of peace and calm throughout your body. Mentally say, "Inhaling peace and calm."

10. Imagine that the air you exhale washes away tension and anxiety. You can say to yourself, "Exhaling tension and anxiety."

Lion's breath is an energizing yoga breathing practice that is said to relieve tension in your chest and face.

It's also known in yoga as Lion's Pose or simhasana in Sanskrit.

To do this:

1. Come into a comfortable seated position. You can sit back on your heels or cross your legs.

2. Press your palms against your knees with your fingers spread wide.

3. Inhale deeply through your nose and open your eyes wide.

4. At the same time, open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue, bringing the tip down toward your chin.

5. Contract the muscles at the front of your throat as you exhale out through your mouth by making a long "ha" sound.

6. You can turn your gaze to look at the space between your eyebrows or the tip of your nose.

7. Do this breath 2 to 3 times.

Here is a guided example of lion's breath and a couple of pose variations on it.

Alternate nostril breathing, known as nadi shodhana pranayama in Sanskrit, is a breathing practice for relaxation.

Alternate nostril breathing has been shown to enhance cardiovascular function and to lower heart rate.

Nadi shodhana is best practiced on an empty stomach. Avoid the practice if you're feeling sick or congested. Keep your breath smooth and even throughout the practice.

To do this:

1. Choose a comfortable seated position.

2. Lift up your right hand toward your nose, pressing your first and middle fingers down toward your palm and leaving your other fingers extended.

3. After an exhale, use your right thumb to gently close your right nostril.

4. Inhale through your left nostril and then close your left nostril with your right pinky and ring fingers.

5. Release your thumb and exhale out through your right nostril.

6. Inhale through your right nostril and then close this nostril.

7. Release your fingers to open your left nostril and exhale through this side.

8. This is one cycle.

9. Continue this breathing pattern for up to 5 minutes.

10. Finish your session with an exhale on the left side.

Equal breathing is known as sama vritti in Sanskrit. This breathing technique focuses on making your inhales and exhales the same length. Making your breath smooth and steady can help bring about balance and equanimity.

You should find a breath length that is not too easy and not too difficult. You also want it to be too fast, so that you're able to maintain it throughout the practice. Usually, this is between 3 and 5 counts.

Once you get used to equal breathing while seated you can do it during your yoga practice or other daily activities.

To do it:

1. Choose a comfortable seated position.

2. Breathe in and out through your nose.

3. Count during each inhale and exhale to make sure they are even in duration. Alternatively, choose a word or short phrase to repeat during each inhale and exhale.

4. You can add a slight pause or breath retention after each inhale and exhale if you feel comfortable. (Normal breathing involves a natural pause.)

5. Continue practicing this breath for at least 5 minutes.

Resonant breathing, also known as coherent breathing, is when you breathe at a rate of 5 full breaths per minute. You can achieve this rate by inhaling and exhaling for a count of 5.

Breathing at this rate maximizes your heart rate variability (HRV), reduces stress, and, according to one 2017 study, can reduce symptoms of depression when combined with Iyengar yoga.

To do this:

1. Inhale for a count of 5.

2. Exhale for a count of 5.

3. Continue this breathing pattern for at least a few minutes.

This yoga breathing practice helps you lower your body temperature and relax your mind.

Slightly extend your breath in length but don't force it. Since you inhale through your mouth during Sitali breath, you may want to choose a place to practice that's free of any allergens that affect you and air pollution.

To do this:

1. Choose a comfortable seated position.

2. Stick out your tongue and curl your tongue to bring the outer edges together.

3. If your tongue doesn't do this, you can purse your lips.

4. Inhale through your mouth.

5. Exhale out through your nose.

6. Continue breathing like this for up to 5 minutes.

Deep breathing helps to relieve shortness of breath by preventing air from getting trapped in your lungs and helping you to breathe in more fresh air. It may help you to feel more relaxed and centered.

To do this:

1. While standing or sitting, draw your elbows back slightly to allow your chest to expand.

2. Take a deep inhalation through your nose.

3. Retain your breath for a count of 5.

4. Slowly release your breath by exhaling through your nose.

The unique sensation of this yoga breathing practice helps to create instant calm and is especially soothing around your forehead. Some people use humming bee breath to relieve frustration, anxiety, and anger. Of course, you'll want to practice it in a place where you are free to make a humming sound.

To do this:

1. Choose a comfortable seated position.

2. Close your eyes and relax your face.

3. Place your first fingers on the tragus cartilage that partially covers your ear canal.

4. Inhale, and as you exhale gently press your fingers into the cartilage.

5. Keeping your mouth closed, make a loud humming sound.

6. Continue for as long as is comfortable.

You can try most of these breath exercises right away. Take the time to experiment with different types of breathing techniques. Dedicate a certain amount of time at least a few times per week. You can do these exercises throughout the day.

Check in with your doctor if you have any medical concerns or take any medications. If you want to learn more about breathing practices you can consult a respiratory therapist or a yoga teacher who specializes in breathing practices. Discontinue the practice if you experience any feelings of discomfort or agitation.

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10 Breathing Exercises to Try: For Stress, Training & Lung Capacity

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If you're interested in trying breathing exercises to reduce stress or anxiety, or improve your lung function, we've got 10 different ones to sample. You may find that certain exercises appeal to you right away. Start with those so that the practice is more enjoyable.

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Obtaining healthy sleep is important for both physical and mental health, improving productivity and overall quality of life. Everyone, from children to older adults, can benefit from better sleep, and sleep hygiene can play a key part in achieving that goal.

Research has demonstrated that forming good habits is a central part of health National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source . Crafting sustainable and beneficial routines makes healthy behaviors feel almost automatic, creating an ongoing process of positive reinforcement. On the flip side, bad habits can become engrained even as they cause negative consequences.

Thankfully, humans have an impressive ability NIH News in Health The NIH, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation's medical research agency - making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. View Source to make our habits serve our long-term interests. Building an environment and set of routines that promote our goals can really pay off.

Sleep hygiene encompasses both environment and habits, and it can pave the way for higher-quality sleep and better overall health.

Improving sleep hygiene has little cost and virtually no risk, making it an important part of a public health strategy National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source to counteract the serious problems of insufficient sleep and insomnia in America.

What Are Signs of Poor Sleep Hygiene?

Having a hard time falling asleep, experiencing frequent sleep disturbances, and suffering daytime sleepiness are the most telling signs of poor sleep hygiene. An overall lack of consistency in sleep quantity or quality can also be a symptom of poor sleep hygiene.

Good sleep hygiene is all about putting yourself in the best position to sleep well each and every night.

Optimizing your sleep schedule, pre-bed routine, and daily routines is part of harnessing habits to make quality sleep feel more automatic. At the same time, creating a pleasant bedroom environment can be an invitation to relax and doze off.

A handful of tips can help in each of these areas, they aren't rigid requirements. You can adapt them to fit your circumstances and create your own sleep hygiene checklist to help get the best sleep possible.

Set Your Sleep Schedule

Having a set schedule normalizes sleep as an essential part of your day and gets your brain and body accustomed to getting the full amount of sleep that you need.

Have a Fixed Wake-Up Time: Regardless of whether it's a weekday or weekend, try to wake up at the same time since a fluctuating schedule keeps you from getting into a rhythm of consistent sleep.

Prioritize Sleep: It might be tempting to skip sleep in order to work, study, socialize, or exercise, but it's vital to treat sleep as a priority. Calculate a target bedtime based on your fixed wake-up time and do your best to be ready for bed around that time each night.

Make Gradual Adjustments: If you want to shift your sleep times, don't try to do it all in one fell swoop because that can throw your schedule out of whack. Instead, make small, step-by-step adjustments of up to an hour or two so that you can get adjusted and settle into a new schedule.

Don't Overdo It With Naps: Naps can be a handy way to regain energy during the day, but they can throw off sleep at night. To avoid this, try to keep naps relatively short and limited to the early afternoon.

Follow a Nightly Routine

How you prepare for bed can determine how easily you'll be able to fall asleep. A pre-sleep playbook including some of these tips can put you at ease and make it easier to fall asleep when you want to.

Keep Your Routine Consistent: Following the same steps each night, including things like putting on your pajamas and brushing your teeth, can reinforce in your mind that it's bedtime.

Budget 30 Minutes For Winding Down: Take advantage of whatever puts you in a state of calm such as soft music, light stretching, reading, and/or relaxation exercises.

Dim Your Lights: Try to keep away from bright lights because they can hinder the production of melatonin, a hormone that the body creates to facilitate sleep.

Unplug From Electronics: Build in a 30-60 minute pre-bed buffer time that is device-free. Cell phones, tablets, and laptops cause mental stimulation that is hard to shut off and also generate blue light that may decrease melatonin production.

Test Methods of Relaxation: Instead of making falling asleep your goal, it's often easier to focus on relaxation. Meditation, mindfulness, paced breathing, and other relaxation techniques can put you in the right mindset for bed.

Don't Toss and Turn: It helps to have a healthy mental connection between being in bed and actually being asleep. For that reason, if after 20 minutes you haven't gotten to sleep, get up and stretch, read, or do something else calming in low light before trying to fall asleep again.

Cultivate Healthy Daily Habits

It's not just bedtime habits that play a part in getting good sleep. Incorporating positive routines during the day can support your circadian rhythm and limit sleep disruptions.

Get Daylight Exposure: Light, especially sunlight, is one of the key drivers of circadian rhythms that can encourage quality sleep.

Be Physically Active: Regular exercise can make it easier to sleep at night and also delivers a host of other health benefits.

numerous sleeping problems National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. Don't Smoke: Nicotine stimulates the body in ways that disrupt sleep, which helps explain why smoking is correlated with View Source .

Reduce Alcohol Consumption: Alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep, but the effect wears off, disrupting sleep later in the night. As a result, it's best to moderate alcohol consumption and avoid it later in the evening.

Cut Down on Caffeine in the Afternoon and Evening: Because it's a stimulant, caffeine can keep you wired even when you want to rest, so try to avoid it later in the day. Also be aware if you're consuming lots of caffeine to try to make up for lack of sleep.

Don't Dine Late: Eating dinner late, especially if it's a big, heavy, or spicy meal, can mean you're still digesting when it's time for bed. In general, any food or snacks before bed should be on the lighter side.

Restrict In-Bed Activity: To build a link in your mind between sleep and being in bed, it's best to only use your bed for sleep with sex being the one exception.

Optimize Your Bedroom

A central component of sleep hygiene beyond just habits is your sleep environment. To fall asleep more easily, you want your bedroom to emanate tranquility.

While what makes a bedroom inviting can vary from one person to the next, these tips may help make it calm and free of disruptions:

Have a Comfortable Mattress and Pillow: Your sleeping surface is critical to comfort and pain-free sleep, so choose the best mattress and best pillow for your needs wisely.

Use Excellent Bedding: The sheets and blankets are the first thing you touch when you get into bed, so it's beneficial to make sure they match your needs and preferences.

Set a Cool Yet Comfortable Temperature: Fine-tune your bedroom temperature to suit your preferences, but err on the cooler side (around 65 degrees fahrenheit).

Block Out Light: Use heavy curtains or an eye mask to prevent light from interrupting your sleep.

Drown Out Noise: Ear plugs can stop noise from keeping you awake, and if you don't find them comfortable, you can try a white noise machine or even a fan to drown out bothersome sounds.

lavender National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. Try Calming Scents: Light smells, such as View Source , may induce a calmer state of mind and help cultivate a positive space for sleep.

The basic concept of sleep hygiene - that your environment and habits can be optimized for better sleep - applies to just about everyone, but what ideal sleep hygiene looks like can vary based on the person.

For that reason, it's worth testing out different adjustments to find out what helps your sleep the most. You don't have to change everything at once; small steps can move you toward better sleep hygiene.

It's also important to know that improving sleep hygiene won't always resolve sleeping problems. People who have serious insomnia or sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea may benefit from better sleep hygiene, but other treatments are usually necessary as well.

In other words, even though it may be beneficial, sleep hygiene alone isn't a panacea. If you have long-lasting or severe sleeping problems or daytime sleepiness, it's best to talk with a doctor who can recommend the most appropriate course of treatment.

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Mastering Sleep Hygiene: Your Path to Quality Sleep | Sleep Foundation

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Looking for ways to sleep better? Improving sleep hygiene can make your habits, routines, & environment more conducive to consistent and restorative sleep.

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Understanding the different types of exercises and how to incorporate them into your weekly routine can help you start exercising. Some tips, such as joining a fitness class or doing mini-workouts, can help make exercise a long-term habit.

Regular exercise plays an important role in maintaining your health.

In the short term, exercise can help improve your mood, mental health, and sleep, as well as manage your hormones and blood pressure levels.

In the long term, exercise can help you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and muscle mass and reduce your risk for chronic diseases, among many other benefits.

If you're considering starting to exercise but don't know where to begin, this article is for you. Here's all you need to know about starting a routine and sticking to it.

There are various types of exercise:

Aerobic: Also known as cardiovascular exercise, this type of exercise refers to types of continuous movement that elevate your heart and breathing rate. Examples include swimming, running, and dancing.

Strength: These exercises focus on increasing muscle power, thickness, and strength. Examples include resistance training, plyometrics, weightlifting, and sprinting.

Calisthenics: These moves are usually performed without gym equipment using large muscle groups. They're done at a medium aerobic pace. Examples include lunges, situps, pushups, and pullups.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT): This type of exercise includes repetitions of short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by low intensity exercises or rest periods.

Boot camps: These are timed-based, high intensity circuits that combine aerobic and resistance exercises.

Balance or stability: These exercises are designed to strengthen muscles and improve body coordination. Examples include Pilates, tai chi poses, unilateral exercises, and core-strengthening exercises.

Flexibility: These types of exercises help muscle recovery, maintain range of motion, and prevent injuries. Examples include yoga or individual muscle-stretch movements.

These activities can be done individually or combined. The important thing is to do what works best for you and to have fun with it.

Summary
Common types of exercise include aerobic, strength, calisthenics, HIIT, boot camps, flexibility, and stability. You can do them individually or combined.

It's essential to consider a few things before starting a new workout routine.

1. Check your health

It's important to speak with a healthcare professional and get a physical examination before starting an exercise routine.

This is particularly important for those new to strenuous and vigorous physical activities.

An early checkup can detect any health problems or conditions that could put you at risk for an injury during exercise.

It can also help you optimize your workout, making it easier for you and a personal trainer (if you choose to work with one) to understand your limitations and create an exercise plan tailored to your particular needs.

2. Make a plan and set realistic goals

Once you decide to start exercising regularly, try to create a plan that includes attainable steps and goals.

One way to do this is to start with a plan of easy steps to follow. Then you can continue building on it as your fitness level improves.

For example, if your goal is to finish a 5-kilometer run, you can start by building a plan that includes shorter runs. Once you can finish those short runs, increase the distance until you can run the whole 5 kilometers in one session.

Starting with small, achievable goals will help increase your chances of success and keep you motivated throughout the process.

3. Make exercise a habit

Another key component of exercise success is to build a routine that you enjoy and can maintain over the long term.

Research suggests that you're more likely to maintain an exercise routine long-term if:

it's enjoyable

you recognize or "feel" the benefits

you make it a habit and do it regularly

Forming new exercise habits can feel challenging, especially if this is a big change from your current lifestyle. Many people also feel like they don't have enough time to exercise.

Consider looking at your current schedule to see where you can add at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. Common times include working out first thing in the morning, on your lunch break, or right after work.

Creating a sustainable exercise schedule or exercising at the same time every day can help you make it a habit. It's important to choose a time that works best for you.

Here is an easy-to-follow, 1-week exercise program that doesn't require equipment and will take you 30 to 45 minutes a day to complete.

This program can be adjusted to your fitness level and made as challenging as you want.

Monday: 40-minute moderate-pace jog or brisk walk.

Tuesday: Rest day.

Wednesday: Walk briskly for 10 minutes. Then, complete the following circuits, resting 1 minute after each set but not between exercises. Stretch afterward.

Thursday: Rest day.

Friday: 30-minute bike ride or moderate-pace jog.

Saturday: Perform Wednesday's strength training circuit or another bodyweight strength training circuit.

Sunday: Take a long walk for 40 minutes.

The 1-week program above is just a simple sample to get you started. For more workout ideas and plans, check out the following links:

1. Stay hydrated

Replenishing fluids during exercise is essential for maintaining optimal performance, preventing injury, and maximizing recovery. This is especially true when exercising in hot temperatures.

2. Optimize your nutrition

Eating the right foods can also help boost your energy levels to maximize your workouts and provide nutrients that support muscle recovery and growth.

For instance, carbohydrates can help fuel your muscles before exercise, especially high intensity exercise that lasts longer than 1 hour. Eating carbs after exercise can also replenish glycogen stores and assist with the absorption of amino acids into your muscles during recovery.

Additionally, protein helps improve muscle recovery after exercise, repair tissue damage, and build muscle mass.

Lastly, regularly consuming healthy fats could help promote fat burning instead of muscle loss, increase energy, and manage blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Warming up before your workout refers to increasing your body temperature.

While this may be the traditional purpose, researchers suggest that warming up before exercising provides several physical and psychological benefits.

Warming up could prepare your body for physical exertion, improve flexibility, and reduce the risk of injury. It can also help get you in the right mindset for exercise.

To get warmed up, focus on raising your heart rate and targeting the specific body parts you'll be using that day.

For instance, if you're exercising your lower body, start your workout with aerobic exercises like leg kicks, half-squats, and walking lunges. For your upper body, perform arm circles and standing pushups.

Cooling down after working out is also important because it can help your body return to its normal state and restore breathing patterns.

According to the American Heart Association, stretching after exercise can also help reduce muscle soreness and tightness by reducing the buildup of lactic acid in your muscles and joints.

Some cool-down ideas include light walking after aerobic exercise or static stretching after resistance training.

5. Listen to your body

If you're not used to working out regularly, be mindful of your limits.

If you feel pain or discomfort while exercising, stop and rest before continuing. Pushing through the pain is not a good idea, as it can cause injuries.

Also, remember that working out harder and faster is not necessarily better.

Taking your time to progress through your fitness program can help you maintain your routine in the long term and make the most of it.

An important factor in staying motivated and continuing to exercise long term is having fun while doing it.

One simple way to do this is to incorporate a wide range of different types of exercises into your weekly routine.

For instance, if you decide to join a gym, you can participate in a variety of classes like yoga, Pilates, and HIIT, or you can train by yourself in the gym. Many online classes are available and effective, too.

exercise with a friend or in a group (this can help maintain accountability)

add entertainment, such as music, a podcast, or TV

do something you enjoyed as a kid, such as playing a specific sport or flying a kite

engage in active pleasure activities instead of sedentary activities

consider running for a cause, such as a charity

Tracking your progress, such as logging your weightlifting levels or noting your running times, can also help keep you motivated to improve your personal records.

Starting a new exercise routine can be challenging, but tailoring exercise to your social, physical, and mental needs can help make it fun and rewarding.

There are many different types of physical activity to choose from. Find a few that work for you and be sure to vary them occasionally.

The goal is to start slowly, build up your fitness level, and give your body enough rest to help prevent injuries.

Keeping track of your progress or taking a virtual group class are examples of actionable steps that can help you stay motivated and achieve your goals.

If you're unsure where to begin, speak with a healthcare professional or personal trainer. They can help develop the best workout plan for you.

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How to Start Exercising: A Beginner's Guide to Working Out

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Exercise is good for you, but getting started can be tough. This article explains how to start working out and stick to it in the long run.

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Water, Hydration, and Health | Nutrition.gov

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Learn what foods and beverages can help you stay hydrated, and get the facts on how much water to drink each day.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about nutrition and eating right for you.

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Explore resources, tools, and printable materials on nutrition for healthy adults. See tips on healthy eating, vegetarian diets, and foods for athletes.

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On April 1, I had been quarantining in my downtown apartment for two weeks, and it was starting to become clear that this coronavirus thing wasn't going away anytime soon.

As I often do in tough times, I turned to journaling. I decided I'd keep a record of my quarantine life through the month of April, a way to remember this crazy historical moment and process my feelings.

Now it's August, and my daily journal continues. I've left my building about two dozen times since I started journaling, so its contents aren't all that exciting-tidbits of everyday life, news about social distancing rules and reopening stages, moments of worry and loneliness and cabin fever and gratitude.

I know I'm not the only one with a pandemic journal. In fact, hundreds of people have written journal entries on the Pandemic Project website, a resource created by psychology researchers that offers writing prompts to help people explore their experiences and emotions around COVID-19.

At a time when the days blend into each other, journaling is helping people separate one from the next and clear out the distressing thoughts invading our heads (and our dreams). Research also suggests it might be helping our health and immune systems, the very things many of us are worried about.

Although there are some pitfalls to journaling-ways of doing it that might backfire-it's one of those rare and valuable mental health tools that doesn't require you to leave your house or even see another human being.

The power of opening up

People had been keeping diaries long before scientists thought to put them under microscopes. But in the past 30 years, hundreds of studies have uncovered the benefits of putting pen to paper with your deepest thoughts and feelings.

According to that research, journaling may help ease our distress when we're struggling. In a 2006 study, nearly 100 young adults were asked to spend 15 minutes journaling or drawing about a stressful event, or writing about their plans for the day, twice during one week. The people who journaled saw the biggest reduction in symptoms like depression, anxiety, and hostility, particularly if they were very distressed to begin with. This was true even though 80 percent had seldom journaled about their feelings and only 61 percent were comfortable doing so.

Why do we avoid journaling?

For one, it isn't always pleasant; I know that I sometimes have to force myself to sit down and do it. Cathartic is probably a better word. In fact, some research suggests that we can feel more anxious, sad, or guilty right after we write.

But in the long term, we can expect to cultivate a greater sense of meaning as well as better health. Various studies have found that people who do a bout of journaling have fewer doctor visits in the following half year, and reduced symptoms of chronic disease like asthma and arthritis.

Can your diary keep you healthy?

Other research finds that writing specifically boosts our immune system, good news when the source of so much stress today is an infectious virus.

One older study even found that journaling could make vaccines more effective. In the experiment, some medical students wrote for four days in a row about their thoughts and feelings around some of the most traumatic experiences of their lives, from divorce to grief to abuse, while others simply wrote down their daily events and plans. Then, everyone received the hepatitis B vaccine and two booster shots.

According to blood tests, the group who journaled about upsetting experiences had higher antibodies right before the last dose and two months later. While the other group had a perfectly healthy response to the vaccine, the authors write, journaling could make an important difference for people who are immune-compromised or for vaccines that don't stimulate the immune system as well.

"Expression of emotions concerning stressful or traumatic events can produce measurable effects on human immune responses," write the University of Auckland's Keith J. Petrie and his colleagues.

Journaling could also boost our immune system once we've been infected with a virus. In another study, researchers recruited undergraduate students who tested positive for the virus that causes mononucleosis, which persists in the body after infection and has the potential to flare up. Three times weekly for 20 minutes, some wrote about a stressful event-like a breakup or a death-while others wrote about their possessions.

Based on blood samples taken before and after, writing about stress increased people's antibodies-an indication that the immune system has more control over the latent virus in the body-compared to more mundane writing. It also seemed to help them gain a deeper understanding of their stress and see more positives to it.

Why journaling works

What's the secret to the humble diary? It turns out journaling works on two different levels, having to do with both our feelings and our thoughts.

First, it's a way of disclosing emotions rather than stuffing them down, which is known to be harmful for our health. So many of us have secret pain or shame that we haven't shared with others, swarming around our brains in images and emotions. Through writing, our pain gets translated into black-and-white words that exist outside of ourselves.

"I'm able to organize thoughts and feelings on paper so they no longer take up room in my head," says Allison Quatrini, an assistant professor at Eckerd College who has been journaling for years and started a COVID-19 journal in April. "If I get them out on the page and clear the mental decks, it sets up the rest of the day to not only be more productive but be more relaxed."

On the thinking level, writing forces us to organize our experiences into a sequence, giving us a chance to examine cause and effect and form a coherent story. Through this process, we can also gain some distance from our experiences and begin to understand them in new ways, stumbling upon insights about ourselves and the world. While trauma can upset our beliefs about how life works, processing trauma through writing seems to give us a sense of control.

"Journaling is a tool to put our experiences, thoughts, beliefs, and desires into language, and in doing so it helps us understand and grow and make sense of them," says Joshua Smyth, a distinguished professor of biobehavioral health and medicine at Penn State University, who coauthored the book Opening Up by Writing It Down with pioneering journaling researcher James Pennebaker.

How to start a journaling practice

While you can journal in many different ways, one of the most well-studied techniques is called Expressive Writing. To do this, you write continuously for 20 minutes about your deepest thoughts and emotions around an issue in your life. You can explore how it has affected you, or how it relates to your childhood or your parents, your relationships or your career.

Expressive Writing is traditionally done four days in a row, but there isn't anything magical about this formula. Studies suggest you can journal a few days in a row, a couple times a week, or just once a week; you can write for 10 or 15 or 20 minutes; and you can keep journaling about the same topic or switch to different ones each time.

For example, the Pandemic Project offers several prompts to inspire your writing. You can write a basic entry about your general thoughts and feelings around COVID-19, or dig into more specific topics like the following:

Social life: How is your social world changing, how does that make you feel, and how are you handling it?

Work and money: How do you feel about your financial situation, and how has your job changed?

Uncertainty: Where is your anxiety and sense of uncertainty coming from, and how can you cope with it?

"Many people often start writing about COVID-19 and then begin writing about other topics that are bothering them more than they thought," notes the Pandemic Project website, which was created by Pennebaker and his research team. "This is what expressive writing is good for. Use it to try to understand those problems that are getting under your skin."

In my journal, I've found myself exploring the issue of control. My constant instinct is to organize and plan out life, but that's been impossible in the midst of a massive, unpredictable crisis. Journaling also let me ponder the lessons I want to take away from this experience around flexibility, acceptance, and letting go.

The do's and don'ts of a diary

A 2002 study does suggest that journalers should beware of rehashing the same difficult feelings over and over in writing.

In the experiment, over 120 college students journaled about a stressful or traumatic event they were experiencing, like troubles at school, conflicts with their partner, or a death in the family. They were instructed to write for at least 10 minutes, twice a week, over the course of a month. Some students wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings-including how they try to make sense of the stress and what they tell themselves to cope with it-while others wrote about their feelings only.

During the month, the group who wrote about feelings and thoughts experienced more growth from the trauma: better relationships with others and a greater sense of strength, appreciation for life, and new possibilities for the future. They seemed to be more aware of the silver linings of the experience, while the group who focused on emotions expressed more negative emotions over time and even got sick more often that month.

The point here is that the most effective journaling moves from emotions to thoughts over time. We start expressing our feelings, allowing ourselves to name them; after all, jumping to thoughts too quickly could mean we're over-analyzing or avoiding. But eventually, we do start to make observations, notice patterns, or set goals for the future.

This has been the case for Allison Quatrini, who usually writes for a half hour in the morning about whatever's going through her mind-from the losses she's experiencing during the pandemic to her work or romantic relationship. It allows her to put into words how much her life has been disrupted, normalize the range of emotions she's been feeling, and brainstorm ways forward.

"It helps me make sense of the way that I'm feeling right now," she says. "Why do I feel not very motivated, why do I feel bored, why do I feel sad? It's also useful in admitting to myself what is going on [and] why it's been very challenging to deal with this."

In addition to writing, you might also consider adding drawings to your journal. In a 2003 study, people either journaled, made drawings, or journaled and drew about a negative experience from the past that still upset them, like relationship troubles or loss. According to surveys before and after, the group who wrote and drew saw the biggest improvements in their mood after three weekly, 20-minute sessions. Drawing without writing actually made people's moods worse, though. The researchers speculate it may have dredged up difficult feelings without offering a way to process them.

If writing is challenging, speaking your feelings aloud may work just as well. In that mono study, there was another group of students who recorded themselves talking about their stress. This group ended up showing the strongest immune responses to the dormant virus in their bodies. They also seemed to be doing the best psychologically, gaining insight and a positive perspective on their stress, improving in self-esteem, and engaging in healthier coping strategies. The researchers suspect that talking-even to a voice recorder-may feel similar to sharing our feelings with a loved one.

Freedom of expression

Sharing with a trusted confidant might seem even better than writing down feelings, as it serves a similar purpose and offers us warmth and validation that a piece of paper can't provide. And that's probably true, write Pennebaker and Smyth in Opening Up by Writing It Down.

One study, for example, found that people who talked to a therapist for four short daily sessions showed more positive emotion and less negative emotion. They gained understanding and perspective, and they made healthy behavior changes similar to people who journaled.

Therapy also seemed to be less unpleasant than writing. In fact, when Pennebaker originally envisioned journaling as a mental health exercise, he was inspired by the benefits of therapy-but mindful that not everyone has the means or the inclination to talk to a professional about their problems.

Of course, confessing to friends or partners isn't without its complications. Sometimes our loved ones are overloaded by their own stresses, or they can't offer the right kind of support-and may even make us feel worse. Other times, our secrets feel too vulnerable to speak out loud.

No matter what, if we're talking to another human, our brains will be doing a constant calculation about what to say or not say, how they might react, and how we will be perceived, says Smyth. Confiding on paper can be a valuable alternative and a way to express ourselves with absolute freedom. Journaling lets us process secrets before we reveal them to others.

For Quatrini, who researches and teaches about China, the stress of the pandemic has an extra layer: With the disruption to U.S.-China relations and travel, she's concerned about the future of her research. The immensity of that loss and uncertainty-and how it was affecting her day-to-day feelings and relationships-only became clear to her when she wrote about it.

"My entire life has been turned upside down and I don't know if it will ever right itself," she says. "Without the journal, I think I would not have figured that out."

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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How Journaling Can Help You in Hard Times

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On April 1, I had been quarantining in my downtown apartment for two weeks, and it was starting to become clear that this coronavirus thing wasn't going away anytime soon. As I often do in tough times, I turned to journaling.

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100 Journaling Prompts for Self-Reflection

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Journaling is an often underutilized tool that provides incredible insight when done properly and consistently.

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15 Journal Prompts For Self-Compassion — dreaming by dusk

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I’m sharing 15 journaling prompts to encourage self-compassion and self-discovery that you can use in any journal you use. Whether it be a daily journal, a bullet journal, or a digital journal.

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"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive."

Dalai Lama

We know about the importance of love and compassion for others. As the Dalai Lama stated, humanity cannot survive without these characteristics.

I've always loved this quote, in part because it can be taken two ways: Either humanity will become physically extinct without love and compassion, or humanity will become metaphorically extinct without love and compassion, meaning these two concepts are intrinsic parts of what it means to be human (find more self-acceptance quotes here).

I tend to take the second perspective, but either way, the Dalai Lama's meaning is clear: We must cultivate love and compassion if we hope to survive and thrive as a species.

Another insightful quote about compassion also comes from the Dalai Lama :

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

Compassion, then, is not only a vital piece of our humanity, it is also an extremely effective tool for improving our lives and the lives of others.

Fortunately, it is not all that difficult to cultivate a sense of compassion for others. It's fairly easy to develop compassion, beginning with those we love, moving on to those we like, continuing to those we don't know, and finally widening our compassionate circle to encompass those we actively dislike.

Unfortunately, developing compassion for the self can be far more difficult.

If you struggle to show yourself compassion, you have come to the right place. In this piece, we will provide several excellent resources, helpful exercises, and information-packed worksheets to help you develop, maintain, and regularly practice self-compassion.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself, but also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.

6 Self-Compassion Exercises

These self-compassion exercises come from the brilliant mind of the leading expert on self-compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff (n.d.). Read on to learn about six of her best exercises for enhancing your self-compassion.

How Would You Treat a Friend?

Perhaps the single best way to provoke compassion for yourself is through this exercise: treating yourself like a good friend.

It's easy to give our friends love, compassion, and understanding, even when they fail or make a mistake. It can be much harder to extend that same understanding and compassion to ourselves when we make a mistake.

Follow these instructions to start showing yourself more compassion:

1. First, think about times when a close friend feels really bad about them or is really struggling in some way. How would you respond to your friend in this situation (especially when you're at your best)? Please write down what you typically do, what you say, and note the tone in which you typically talk to your friends.

2. Now think about times when you feel bad about yourself or are struggling. How do you typically respond to yourself in these situations? Please write down what you typically do, what you say, and note the tone in which you talk to yourself.

3. Did you notice a difference? If so, ask yourself why. What factors or fears come into play that lead you to treat yourself and others so differently?

4. Please write down how you think things might change if you responded to yourself in the same way you typically respond to a close friend when you're suffering.

An exercise like this can be a first step toward treating yourself like a good friend - not just for a quick, 10-minute exercise, but for life. Click here to see this exercise on Dr. Neff's page.

Self-Compassion Break

Another good exercise to help you improve your understanding and love for yourself is the Self-Compassion Break. It will only take a few minutes, but it can make a big difference.

To begin, bring to mind a situation in your life that is causing you stress or pain. Think about this situation and how it makes you feel, both emotionally and physically.

When you have this situation in mind and get in touch with the feelings associated with it, say the following things to yourself:

"This is a moment of suffering."
This will activatemindfulness; other options include "This hurts," "This is stress," and, simply, "Ouch."

"Suffering is a part of life."
Saying this helps you realize that you have this in common with all other human beings on the planet - suffering is an unavoidable part of life. You can follow this by putting your hands over your heart or using whatever soothing self-touch feels right to you. Other options include saying "Other people feel this way," "I'm not alone," or "We all struggle in our lives."

"May I be kind to myself."
Alternatively, you can use other phrases that may apply better in your current situation, such as "May I forgive myself" or "May I be patient."

Great relief can come from simply affirming that you are experiencing suffering, a difficult but natural part of life, and stating your intention to be kind, patient, or accepting of yourself.

To read about this exercise on Dr. Neff's website, click here.

Exploring Self-Compassion Through Writing

This three-part exercise can be especially helpful for those who like to write or are particularly adept at expressing themselves via the written word. However, even if you're not a proficient writer, this exercise is a great opportunity to practice some self-compassion.

Follow the instructions below to try your hand at self-compassion through writing.

Part one

First, think about the imperfections that make you feel inadequate. Everyone has at least a few things they don't like about themselves or makes them feel "not good enough."

Consider these things that you feel insecure about. If there is one issue that is particularly salient for you at the moment, focus on this insecurity.

Note how you feel when you think about it. Notice the emotions that come up, and let yourself experience them. We are so often desperate to avoid feeling anything negative, but negative feelings are an inherent part of life. Additionally, negative feelings can often provoke positive outcomes, like self-compassion.

Simply feel the emotions that thinking about your insecurity dredges up, then write about them.

Part two

Once you have written about these emotions, you can move on to the second part of this exercise: writing a letter to yourself from the perspective of an unconditionally loving imaginary friend.

This exercise will call upon your tendency to show compassion and understanding to your friends, and encourage you to apply it to yourself as well.

Imagine a friend who is unconditionally loving, kind, compassionate, and accepting. Next, imagine they have all of your strengths and all of your weaknesses, including the feelings of inadequacy you just wrote about.

Think about how this friend feels about you: They love you, accept you, and act kindly toward you. Even when you make a mistake or do something hurtful, this friend is quick to forgive and understand.

Not only is this friend completely understanding and compassionate, but they know all about your life. They know how you got to where you are, they know about all the millions of little choices that you made along the way, and they understand that several factors have contributed to the person you are today.

Write a letter from the perspective of this imaginary, unconditionally loving friend. Focus the letter on the inadequacies you wrote about in part one. Think about what this all-compassionate friend would say to you.

Would they tell you that you must be perfect, and any weakness is unacceptable? Or would this friend tell you that they understand why you feel that way, but that we are all human and imperfect?

Would they berate you for your feelings of insecurity or inadequacy? Or would they encourage you to accept yourself as you are, and remind you of your strengths?

Write this letter with the friend's feelings for you in mind; make sure that their love, compassion, and kindness are at the forefront of their message to you.

Part three

Once you finish the letter, put it down and walk away for a while. Give yourself some space from the letter.

When you come back, read it again - but read it with the intention to really let the words sink in. Don't read it as a note that you wrote a few minutes or hours ago; read it as if it is really from this unconditionally loving friend.

Open yourself up to their compassion and let yourself experience it, soothing and comforting you. Allow their compassion to sink into you and become your own compassion for yourself.

To follow these instructions directly from Dr. Neff's website, click here.

Changing Your Critical Self-Talk

This exercise is meant to be practiced over the long term and will require several sessions to be truly impactful on your compassion for yourself. It is vital that you keep up on these three steps, but the reward for doing so will be well worth the time you spent.

There are three steps to this exercise that you will repeat several times.

Step one

In step one, all you need to do is notice when you are being critical of yourself and take note of the words, tone, phrases, etc., you use with yourself. It's easy to be critical of ourselves, but it's harder to notice all of these factors. You will likely have trouble noticing these things the first or second time you try, but don't give up! It will get easier the more you practice it.

The goal of this step is to simply get a sense of how you talk to yourself when you are criticizing yourself or being negative about yourself. It is not only practically challenging to get a sense of how you talk to yourself, it can also be emotionally challenging to confront the reality of how you talk to yourself.

It might bring up a lot of difficult or intense emotions, but remember that the next two steps are meant to help you become more positive about yourself. You'll get there!

Step two

In step one, you begin to challenge the negative self-talk. Begin to "talk back" to the critical voice in your head. Don't take on the same critical tone with this voice in your head. Although you may want to be nasty to this voice, that will just encourage self-judgment instead of self-compassion!

Tell the voice that you understand that the voice is nervous, anxious, or worried about getting hurt, but that it is causing you unnecessary pain. Ask the critical voice to allow your compassionate self to speak for a few moments.

Step three

Finally, work on reframing the observations made by the critical voice. Put them in a more positive perspective, perhaps with the help of the "unconditionally compassionate" friend from the last exercise. Instead of allowing the critical voice to berate you for a choice you made, put on your "self-compassionate" or "compassionate friend" hat and view the situation with a focus on the positive.

For instance, if you feel horrible for saying something mean to a friend, don't allow your critical voice to have full control in your mind. Let your compassionate self take over and say something like, "I know you made a mean comment to your friend and that you feel bad about it. You thought it might feel good to get that off your chest, but you just felt worse after.

I want you to be happy, so please think about calling your friend and apologizing. It will feel good to make up with her."

You can even pair this positive self-talk with loving physical gestures, like stroking your arm or giving yourself a hug. However you do it, engaging in this kind of positive self-talk will help you to start being more kind to yourself, which will eventually lead to genuine feelings of warmth and love for yourself.

You can learn more about compassion training in this article.

Identifying What We Really Want

Another three-part exercise can help you to figure out what you want and motivate yourself to achieve it in a healthy and effective way. This exercise also must be practiced regularly to experience the full benefits it can offer.

Part one

Piggy-backing off of the previous exercise, step one of this exercise concerns your negative self-talk and its harmful impact on you. You may not immediately connect any harmful outcomes to this negative self-talk, but you can be sure that constant streams of critical self-talk make your head a toxic and inhospitable place.

Think about what you tend to criticize yourself for, perhaps in the hopes that being hard on yourself will motivate you to change. Open yourself up to the emotional pain that this criticism causes and offer yourself compassion for the feeling of being judged.

Part two

In the next phase, challenge yourself to come up with a more kind, caring way to motivate yourself. Consider how you would encourage a close friend or family member. Think about how a wise and nurturing parent, teacher, or mentor would tell you that your behavior is not helping you to reach your goals, and recommend new ways to move closer to them.

Come up with the most supportive message you can think of that mirrors your underlying wish to be happy, healthy, and productive.

Part three

Whenever you catch yourself criticizing or being judgmental towards yourself, repeat step one. Open yourself up to the feelings that these thoughts bring. Then, offer yourself compassion for experiencing this kind of judgment.

Once you have shown yourself compassion, try to reframe your inner dialogue, as you did in step two. Use the encouraging and supportive voice instead of the critical voice, and offer yourself understanding and actionable suggestions for positive change. Remind yourself that love is a much more powerful motivator than fear!

To see Dr. Neff's original description of this exercise, click here.

Guided Meditation

Guided meditation can also be a great way to enhance your self-compassion.

Click here to listen to or download several unique self-compassion focused guided meditations.

2 Worksheets for Increasing Compassion (PDFs)

If you're more of a "fill in the blanks" type of person, or prefer following along on a handout or worksheet, you may find this section helpful.

Two of the most popular and useful worksheets for building self-compassion are listed below.

Letter of self-compassion

To encourage self-compassion, try this self-compassion exercise, which can help you take a step back and consider an event in your life with more acceptance, care, and support.

We are often too hard on ourselves, and writing a loving letter to yourself as if you were talking to a close friend can help you along the path to self-acceptance and self-compassion.

Once you've finished the letter, read it back and consider the emotions you've expressed and are currently feeling.

A conversation with the inner child

There is a childlike element within all of us, one who still needs tender love and support. Use this exercise to show yourself compassion in the form of addressing your inner child.

The exercise is a series of questions that imagine a conversation between yourself now and a younger version, thinking back to difficult times you experienced as a child (and how they may affect you know) as well as how your past self would interpret current events in your life.

How to Love and Accept Yourself

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer: How do I love myself?

For some, it seems so easy! There are many people who will readily acknowledge their love for themselves, without shame or reticence.

Others may struggle with the idea of loving themselves, either because they don't even like themselves or because the concept of loving oneself seems on par with narcissism (spoiler alert: It's not!).

However difficult you find it to love and accept yourself, there are steps you can take to enhance your compassion, acceptance, and love for yourself.

In his book, Deeper Dating, Page (2015) notes that loving ourselves is inherently dependent on those around us. We may not struggle to appreciate our easy-to-love side, positive traits, and good characteristics, but we all likely struggle to love our flaws and weaknesses. This is where the care and compassion of others can open us up to the possibility of loving even the most unlovable aspects of ourselves.

However, this involves making ourselves vulnerable. The risk to our egos can potentially result in great intimacy with loved ones and, as an indirect result, authentic love for our authentic selves.

If you're looking to enhance your self-love, Page (2015) suggests beginning by learning more about our "true" and "false" selves. Answering these two questions can help with this:

What parts of your authentic self did you have to hide or camouflage in your childhood?

In your current relationships, where are you confined to too small a space? What parts of yourself are you not expressing?

Relevant: The Self-Compassion Scale and Test (Incl. PDF)

If you noticed that the things you are most passionate about or most gifted in are the same things you suppress, don't be surprised. Page (2015) states that this is a common phenomenon. To unlock your full potential and embrace your passions and gifts, you must open yourself up to others.

Think about which of your friends, family members, or other loved ones are most supportive of you and your passions or gifts. Which of them are encouraging and generous? Which of them are not intimidated by your talents or envious of your abilities? Identify these supportive people, and cherish your relationships with them. Lean on these positive presences in your life, and give back to them when you can (Page, 2015).

Opening yourself up to such relationships will bolster your ability to open yourself up to your own love and compassion, leading to a healthier, happier, and more compassionate you!

If you are struggling in your relationships with others or simply want to focus on yourself instead of your friends and family members at the moment, Paul (2014) has outlined some steps you can take to enhance your love for yourself.

Paul calls this process "inner bonding" and notes its powerful healing abilities. All you need to do is practice these six steps regularly to gradually enhance your ability to love yourself.

Step one - Be willing to feel pain and take responsibility for your feelings

First, understand that all of our feelings are messages to ourselves that contain vital information. This step is designed to help you open yourself up to what your feelings are trying to tell you.

This is an excellent place to practice mindful self-compassion since it will help you to get present in your body, open yourself up to your feelings, and meet them with compassion. This step is all about moving towards your feelings, even the difficult ones, rather than moving away from pain.

Accept that you are responsible for your feelings. You may not have complete control over them, but you get to choose how to respond to them. Avoid any form of self-abandonment, including staying too focused in your own head, judging yourself, turning to substances to tune out the problems, or blaming others for your feelings.

Step two - Move into the intent to learn

In this inner bonding process, there are only two intentions you can possibly have at any one time:

1. To protect against pain and avoid responsibility for it, using harmful behaviors like addiction and attempts to control.

2. To learn about what you're doing or thinking that may be causing you pain so you can take loving action on your own behalf.

It can be tough to move out of intention #1, but moving to intention #2 is the only way for us to make progress and begin to love ourselves. We must consciously choose to learn about ourselves, and open ourselves up to our "higher self" rather than wallowing in our "lower self."

Step three - Learn about your false beliefs

False beliefs - unfortunately, we all have them. In the process of learning to love ourselves, it is vital that we identify our false beliefs.

This involves a deep and compassionate process of exploration, probing your inner self about the beliefs and values at your core, and connecting your beliefs to a person or situation that is causing you pain.

You can conduct this exploration through asking your feeling self, or inner child, "What am I thinking or doing that's causing the painful feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, jealousy, anger, loneliness, or emptiness?" Allow the answer to come from your inner, authentic self, directly from the source of your feelings.

When you have a handle on what you are thinking or doing that is causing these feelings, explore your wounded ego to identify the fears and false beliefs you have that have led you to the self-abandoning thoughts and actions. Identifying your false beliefs is a vital step towards challenging these beliefs, accepting yourself, and loving yourself.

Step four - Dialogue with your higher self

It might seem impossibly difficult to connect with your higher self, but Paul (2014) insists it is easier than you think. You must open yourself up to loving yourself before any answers will come, but they will come eventually.

It may take only minutes for you to make important connections and discover new understandings of yourself, or it may take days, weeks, or months. These insights may only come in images in your mind, or they may show up in your dreams.

However they show up, know that they will show up if your heart is open to them - it's only a matter of time.

Step five - Take the loving action learned in step four

Next, take the insights you gained in step four and apply them to your life.

Did you notice that your stress or depression often arise because you don't tend to your own needs? Make sure to tend to your own needs.

Did you discover that you often assign the worst possible opinions about yourself to others, even when they haven't signaled any such opinions? Stop yourself when you head in this direction and remind yourself that you can't know what others are thinking - assuming the worst is usually both wrong and unhelpful.

If you're struggling with this step, remember that asking "What can I DO to love myself?" is a far better question than "How can I FEEL love for myself?" It's much harder to conjure a desired feeling out of thin air than it is to take actions that will help you authentically experience the desired feeling.

Step six - Evaluate your action

Check in with yourself after step five. Did the loving action you took help you to shed some of your anger and shame? Did it soothe your pain and help you to be more compassionate towards yourself? If not, repeat these steps as needed until you have found the correct ingredients and steps that will lead you to peace, joy, and a sense of intrinsic self-worth.

This process will not only help you to love yourself, it will also affect every area of your life. When you show yourself love and compassion, your relationships, your work, and your health will all reflect this positive energy.

If this process calls to you and you'd like to learn more, Paul links to a free online Inner Bonding Course.

How to Love and Accept Others

Fortunately, loving others is generally not as difficult, confusing, or complex as loving ourselves! However, it can still be challenging to love others in a productive and compassionate way.

There are many resources out there to help you learn how to love and accept others. In some cases, it's as simple as taking the suggestions for loving yourself and applying them to others. However, some are simply not applicable to others as they are to ourselves.

So, how do you go about loving the people who are most important to you?

Four distinct methods for loving others include:

Appreciating others

Interacting with others

Showing integrity, and

Forgiving people for past hurt

These four methods, outlined in this Loving Others, Better handout, are not mutually exclusive. You can take bits and pieces from each method, use one to a much greater degree than others, or ignore one or two methods that just aren't your style.

For example, appreciating others entails:

Setting time aside to bond with people who matter to you

Valuing people for their actions, and showing your gratitude

Accepting others as they are, without judgment or criticism.

Ignoring others' small mistakes and letting things go more often.

Among other things, interacting with others can involve:

Opening yourself up to more kindness and affection, for example kissing, hugging, receiving compliments, or expressing gratitude.

Using words, and not just actions, to demonstrate your love. Help other people feel comfortable about demonstrating their feelings to you, in turn.

Setting time aside for your loved ones, whether it's emotional or practical support that they require.

Some ways to show integrity are:

Telling the truth with friends, family, and romantic partners.

Keeping your word, upholding your promises, and respecting commitments that you make,

Being honest with yourself, being who you are, and living in line with your values.

Finally, forgiving people involves:

Practicing self-forgiveness before all - Self-forgiveness is essential before we can forgive other people and recover from pain,

Showing your feelings. If you are feeling hurt, find a sensitive way to express your pain.

It may seem unfamiliar to refer to a resource for something that is as basic to our human experience as loving others, but don't close yourself off to good ideas from unusual places. These are all solid suggestions that you can implement to learn to love others more deeply and more effectively.

Love as patience

Use patience to express your love to others. Instead of focusing on other things, getting sidetracked by perfectionism, or becoming impatient when your loved ones do not meet your expectations, practice patience.

Patience empowers you to enjoy the journey of life instead of rushing through your life to get to the end (Almeida, n.d.).

Practicing patience will not only attract friendships and opportunities to you, it will make you a better friend, romantic partner, and all-around person (Schnitker & Emmons, 2007). Instead of focusing on the future, patience will keep you rooted in the present and enjoying your life as it happens.

Love as kindness

Acts of kindness are among some of the most powerful actions we can take. Seemingly small acts of kindness are remembered years or even decades after they are experienced.

In his blog post, professional mentor Joel Almeida (n.d.) notes that kindness is like a swiftly flowing river, with a calm surface "even as it grinds the rough edges off rocks." It can lubricate the tense interactions between people, soothe during times of turbulence, and wear down even the grouchiest of people.

Use kindness to show others that you love and appreciate them, and you will find your life illuminated with positivity. Avoid any urges to react with rudeness, criticism, anger, or resentment, and commit to kindness instead.

Love as delight in others' successes

A key component of love is finding joy in the success of others. It is easy to lose yourself in envy of those with more money, a more attractive physique, or a larger bevy of friends, but this leads to nothing but negative outcomes.

Instead of coveting what others have or resenting their success, dedicate yourself to sharing in the journey of life with those you love - in their joy and success as well as their pain and failure.

Like patience, cultivating a sense of delight in others' achievements will not only attract others to you like a moth to a flame, but make you a better friend to others.

If you're having trouble finding joy in the success of those around you, spend some time developing a better sense of your own uniqueness and your core values. A strong sense of self and compassion for the self will enhance your ability to enjoy the successes of others.

Love as humility

A sure way to ensure that other people do not enjoy your company is to brag, boast, and bolster yourself up at the expense of others.

However, practicing humility will make spending time with you a positive experience for those you love instead of a trial they must endure.

We often brag or boast to enhance our sense of self, because we feel inadequate, insecure, or ashamed of ourselves. However, it is a double-edged sword. While you may feel better temporarily, you're only feeling better in comparison to others, meaning that you are also necessarily on the inferior side of the comparison at times.

When we are quick to admit our faults and acknowledge our imperfections, others see us more favorably. Showing humility shows others that we respect each individual on the basis of their intrinsic worth, rather than on an arbitrary or superficial basis (Tangney, 2000; 2009).

Be humble, and you will find it easier to love others as well as yourself.

Love as empathy

Perhaps the most powerful way to love others is to practice empathy. To truly love another, we must be able to put ourselves in their shoes. If we cannot put ourselves in another's shoes, we cannot truly understand and appreciate them for who they are.

Practicing empathy opens us up to a greater love for others (and ourselves!) than we previously thought possible, and draws others to the warmth and light that our empathy gives off.

Show others you love them by empathizing with them. Even if you don't necessarily know everything they are dealing with nor approve of the actions they have taken, make an effort to understand and empathize with where they are in the moment. You won't regret it!

Indeed, love is not something that "just happens," but a force that must be developed, cultivated, and maintained. It might take some work, but the outcome of this work is a happy, healthy, and accepting self that encourages others to be happy, healthy, and accepting.

However you choose to show love, the important thing is to express love regularly and authentically. Loving others will not only benefit those who receive love, it will also transform the one giving love.

A Take-Home Message

I hope you have found this piece to be a useful exploration of compassion, acceptance, and love for the self, as well as others.

One of the most important things we can do to live better, happier lives is to practice compassion - both for ourselves and for others (including those we love, those we hate, and those we don't even know). However difficult it is to start on a journey toward self-acceptance, self-love, and self-compassion, remember that the outcomes are well worth the time you will invest in this journey.

What do you think about how to develop self-compassion? Do any of these self-compassion exercises look especially helpful? What do you do to show yourself compassion? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and remember to be kind to yourself!

For further reading, please see:

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our 3 Self Compassion Exercises for free.

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8 Powerful Self-Compassion Exercises & Worksheets (+ PDF)

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"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." Dalai Lama We know about the importance of love and compassion for others. As the Dalai Lama stated, humanity cannot survive without these characteristics.

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Why It Helps to Put Your Feelings Into Words

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A recent review explores the mechanisms of affect labeling and its influence on our emotional experiences.

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The Feelings Wheel: Learn How to Identify Your Emotions - Neurodivergent Insights

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The feelings wheel is a great tool for learning how to identify and describe your emotions. Learn more about it here.

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ABC Model of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: How it Works

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In CBT, the ABC model is a framework for changing irrational thoughts. Its goal is to challenge negative beliefs and develop more practical, rational ways to handle stressful scenario.

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Progressive muscle relaxation ( PMR) is a deep relaxation technique that has been effectively used to control stress and anxiety, relieve insomnia, and reduce symptoms of certain types of chronic pain. Progressive muscle relaxation is based upon the simple practice of tensing, or tightening, one muscle group at a time followed by a relaxation phase with release of the tension. Doctors have used progressive muscle relaxation in combination with standard treatments for symptom relief in a number of conditions, including headaches, cancer pain, high blood pressure, and digestive disturbances.

The technique of progressive muscle relaxation was described by Edmund Jacobson in the 1930s and is based upon his premise that mental calmness is a natural result of physical relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation can be learned by nearly anyone and requires only 10 minutes to 20 minutes per day to practice.

Most practitioners recommend tensing and relaxing the muscle groups one at a time in a specific order, generally beginning with the lower extremities and ending with the face, abdomen, and chest. You can practice this technique seated or lying down, and you should try to practice with comfortable clothing on, and in a quiet place free of all distractions.

Here is how it works;

1. While inhaling, contract one muscle group (for example your upper thighs) for 5 seconds to 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly release the tension in that muscle group.

2. Give yourself 10 seconds to 20 seconds to relax, and then move on to the next muscle group (for example your buttocks).

3. While releasing the tension, try to focus on the changes you feel when the muscle group is relaxed. Imagery may be helpful in conjunction with the release of tension, such as imagining that stressful feelings are flowing out of your body as you relax each muscle group.

4. Gradually work your way up the body contracting and relaxing muscle groups.

People who suffer from insomnia often report that practicing progressive muscle relaxation at night helps them fall asleep. Progressive muscle relaxation is also an excellent tool to help learn about the body and the signals it may be telling you. With practice and time, you can learn to accurately identify and diminish the signs and signals of stress and tension in your body.

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Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Stress and Insomnia

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Progressive muscle relaxation ( PMR) is a deep relaxation technique that has been effectively used to control stress and anxiety, relieve insomnia, and reduce symptoms of certain types of chronic pain. Progressive muscle relaxation is based upon the simple practice of tensing, or tightening, one muscle group at a time followed by a relaxation phase with release of the tension.

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Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a common form of talk therapy. Unlike some other therapies, CBT is typically intended as a short-term treatment, taking anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to see results.

Although the past is certainly relevant, CBT focuses on providing you with tools to solve your current problems. And there a lot of ways to get there with this type of therapy.

Here's a look at some of the techniques used in CBT, what types of issues they address, and what to expect with CBT.

The key principle behind CBT is that your thought patterns affect your emotions, which, in turn, can affect your behaviors.

For instance, CBT highlights how negative thoughts can lead to negative feelings and actions. But, if you reframe your thoughts in a more positive way, it can lead to more positive feelings and helpful behaviors.

Your therapist will teach you how to make changes you can implement right now. These are skills you can continue to use for the rest of your life.

Depending on the issue you're dealing with and your goals, there are several ways to approach CBT. Whatever approach your therapist takes, it will include:

identifying specific problems or issues in your daily life

becoming aware of unproductive thought patterns and how they can impact your life

identifying negative thinking and reshaping it in a way that changes how you feel

learning new behaviors and putting them into practice

After speaking with you and learning more about the issue you want help with, your therapist will decide on the best CBT strategies to use.

Some of the techniques that are most often used with CBT include the following 9 strategies:

1. Cognitive restructuring or reframing

This involves taking a hard look at negative thought patterns.

Perhaps you tend to over-generalize, assume the worst will happen, or place far too much importance on minor details. Thinking this way can affect what you do and it can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Your therapist will ask about your thought process in certain situations so you can identify negative patterns. Once you're aware of them, you can learn how to reframe those thoughts so they're more positive and productive.

For example: "I blew the report because I'm totally useless" can become "That report wasn't my best work, but I'm a valuable employee and I contribute in many ways."

2. Guided discovery

In guided discovery, the therapist will acquaint themselves with your viewpoint. Then they'll ask questions designed to challenge your beliefs and broaden your thinking.

You might be asked to give evidence that supports your assumptions, as well as evidence that does not.

In the process, you'll learn to see things from other perspectives, especially ones that you may not have considered before. This can help you choose a more helpful path.

3. Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy can be used to confront fears and phobias. The therapist will slowly expose you to the things that provoke fear or anxiety, while providing guidance on how to cope with them in the moment.

This can be done in small increments. Eventually, exposure can make you feel less vulnerable and more confident in your coping abilities.

4. Journaling and thought records

Writing is a time-honored way of getting in touch with your own thoughts.

Your therapist may ask you to list negative thoughts that occurred to you between sessions, as well as positive thoughts you can choose instead.

Another writing exercise is to keep track of the new thoughts and new behaviors you put into practice since the last session. Putting it in writing can help you see how far you've come.

5. Activity scheduling and behavior activation

If there's an activity you tend to put off or avoid due to fear or anxiety, getting it on your calendar can help. Once the burden of decision is gone, you may be more likely to follow through.

Activity scheduling can help establish good habits and provide ample opportunity to put what you've learned into practice.

6. Behavioral experiments

Behavioral experiments are typically used for anxiety disorders that involve catastrophic thinking.

Before embarking on a task that normally makes you anxious, you'll be asked to predict what will happen. Later, you'll talk about whether the prediction came true.

Over time, you may start to see that the predicted catastrophe is actually not very likely to happen. You'll likely start with lower-anxiety tasks and build up from there.

7. Relaxation and stress reduction techniques

In CBT, you may be taught some progressive relaxation techniques, such as:

You'll learn practical skills to help lower stress and increase your sense of control. This can be helpful in dealing with phobias, social anxieties, and other stressors.

8. Role playing

Role playing can help you work through different behaviors in potentially difficult situations. Playing out possible scenarios can lessen fear and can be used for:

improving problem solving skills

gaining familiarity and confidence in certain situations

practicing social skills

assertiveness training

improving communication skills

9. Successive approximation

This involves taking tasks that seem overwhelming and breaking them into smaller, more achievable steps. Each successive step builds upon the previous steps so you gain confidence as you go, bit by bit.

In your first session, you'll help the therapist understand the problem you're dealing with and what you hope to achieve with CBT. The therapist will then formulate a plan to achieve a specific goal.

Goals should be:

Depending on your situation and your SMART goals, the therapist might recommend individual, family, or group therapy.

Sessions generally last about an hour and take place once a week, though this can vary according to individual needs and availability.

Homework is also part of the process, so you'll be asked to fill out worksheets, a journal, or perform certain tasks between sessions.

Open communication and feeling comfortable with your therapist are key. If you don't feel completely comfortable with your therapist, try to find a therapist you can connect with and open up to more easily.

Look for a therapist who's trained in CBT and who has experience treating your specific problem. Check to make sure they're properly certified and licensed.

You may want to talk to your doctor or other healthcare providers for recommendations. Practitioners may include:

psychiatrists

psychologists

psychiatric nurse practitioners

social workers

marriage and family therapists

other professionals with mental health training

Most of the time, CBT takes a few weeks to a few months to start seeing results.

CBT can help with a variety of everyday problems, such as learning to cope with stressful situations or dealing with anxiety over a certain issue.

You don't need a medical diagnosis to benefit from CBT.

It can also help with:

learning to manage powerful emotions like anger, fear, or sadness

dealing with grief

managing symptoms or preventing mental illness relapses

coping with physical health problems

conflict resolution

improving communication skills

assertiveness training

CBT can be effective for a variety of conditions, either alone or in combination with other therapies or medications. This includes:

CBT is not generally considered a risky therapy, though there are some things to keep in mind:

It's a very individual thing, but in the beginning, some people might find it stressful or uncomfortable to confront their problems.

Some types of CBT, like exposure therapy, can increase stress and anxiety while you're working your way through it.

It doesn't work overnight. It takes commitment and willingness to work on new techniques between sessions and after therapy has ended. It's helpful to think of CBT as a lifestyle change that you intend to follow and improve upon throughout your life.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-established, effective type of short-term therapy. It's based on the connections between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and how they can influence each other.

There are quite a few techniques that are used with CBT. Depending on the type of issue you want help with, your therapist will help figure out which CBT strategy is best suited to your particular needs.

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CBT Techniques: Tools for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a common form of talk therapy. Unlike some other therapies, CBT is typically intended as a short-term treatment, taking anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to see results.

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How to Do A Time Audit (With Time Audit Template) | Clockwise

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Performing a time audit has many benefits for time management. Here's how to perform a time audit, plus get a time audit template and start auditing your time today.

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University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

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Time management-how we choose to use and organize our time-is something many of us struggle with. Effective time management allows us to make the most of our day, accomplishing tasks more quickly and prioritizing those that will make the most impact.

Different people need different effective time management strategies. If you're a graduate student, you may choose to manage your time in a different way than someone who is a working mother. If you're a visual person, you may prefer a color-coded calendar over a written to do list .

Figuring out a process that works for you, whatever that may be, is key to creating your most efficient life. To help you improve poor time management, we've explored nine popular techniques, from the 80/20 rule to the "eat that frog" method. We've outlined what they are, how to implement them, and the types of people who most benefit from them. And, check out our infographic below that includes a flowchart to help you decide which time management process will work the best for you.

9 Types of Time Management Techniques

Achieving work life balance is possible with effective time management . Learning time management tips will not only help you manage your time better but also boost personal productivity . With that said, here are some time management strategies you can try:

1. Pareto Analysis (a.k.a., the 80/20 rule)

The 80/20 rule is a technique created by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. It's the idea that 20% of actions are responsible for 80% of outcomes. The goal of Pareto analysis is to help you prioritize tasks that are most effective at solving problems.
How it works:

1. List some of the problems you are facing. For example, maybe your grades are slipping.

2. Identify the root cause of each problem. Maybe your grades are slipping because you spend too much time on social media or any other sort of distraction .

3. Assign a score to each problem: Assign higher numbers to more important problems

4. Group problems together by cause: Group together all the problems caused by spending too much time on social media.

5. Add up the score of each group: The group with the highest score is the issue you should work on first.

6. Take action.

Types of people who will benefit from Pareto Analysis:

Problem solvers

Analytical thinkers

2. Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique was created by entrepreneur and author Francesco Cirillo. This technique uses a timer to break down your work into intervals. Each interval is known as a named after the tomato-shaped timer that Cirillo created.
How it works:

1. Choose a task you need to get done.

2. Set a timer (e.g., for 25 mins).

3. Focus on the task at hand.

4. When the timer rings, put a checkmark on a piece of paper.

5. Take a short break: Take a break for about three to five minutes. Go for a walk, grab a cup of coffee, do something non-work-related to give your brain a break.

6. Repeat steps two to five: Once you have completed this process four times, you can begin to take longer breaks (20-30 mins).

Types of people that will benefit from the Pomodoro Technique:

Creative thinkers

Those who feel burnt out from work/school

The Pomodoro technique doesn't just teach your time management; it also teaches you in setting goals and how to achieve them. You'll be able to better stick to your daily schedule and weekly schedule .

3. Eisenhower Matrix

Before Dwight Eisenhower became president in 1953, he served in the U.S. Army as an Allied Forces Commander during World War II. He was faced with difficult decisions every day that led him to invent what is now called the Eisenhower matrix , or the urgent-important matrix .
How it works:
Organize your task list into four separate quadrants, sorting them by important vs. unimportant and urgent vs. not urgent, as shown in the graphic below. Urgent tasks are those we feel need to get done immediately. Important tasks are those that contribute to your long term goals or values. Ideally, you should only work on tasks in the top two quadrants-the other tasks, you should delegate or delete.
Types of people who will benefit from the Eisenhower Matrix:

People in leadership positions

Critical thinkers

4. Parkinson's Law

British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson became famous for the phrase "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." In other words, the amount of time you give yourself to complete a specific task is the amount of time it will take you to complete that task.
How it works:
This is not a time management technique . It's a law that, when understood, can be applied as one of the most beneficial time management methods out there-but you will have to put in the work. That means working more efficiently in shorter bursts of time. Here are some time management tips:

Try working without a computer charger. This will force you to finish a project before your computer dies.

Get it done early. Instead of finishing an essay by midnight, try to get it done by noon.

Set a deadline. Give yourself a set time to do something-and then cut it in half.

Limit time for tasks. Give yourself only 20 minutes in the morning to answer emails.

Types of people this works for:

Procrastinators

People who work well under pressure

5. Time Blocking Method

Inventor Elon Musk is known for being productive. He manages his time so efficiently that he can work over 80 hours a week and still make time for himself. What's his secret? Time blocking.
How it works:
From the moment you wake up, assign each time block in your day to a task. These tasks can be anything from eating breakfast to studying for a test. Below are the steps Elon Musk uses to block his time:

1. Divide a piece of paper into two columns. On the left, write down each hour of the day and create blocks of time such as half-hour or hour chunks.

2. Estimate the time it's going to take to complete each of your tasks and fit them into your time blocks.

3. Add buffer times in between each time block to allow for adjustments during the day.

Types of people this works for:

Working students or parents

Analytical thinkers

6. Getting Things Done (GTD) Method

Created by author David Allen, this process helps you get things done by recording tasks on paper and then breaking them down into actionable work items.
How it works:

1. Capture the actions that have your attention: These actions are tasks that can relate to anything from work to school to your personal life.

2. Clarify what they mean: Decide whether the tasks that have your attention are actionable or not. If an item is not actionable, ignore it for now. If the item is actionable, do it, delegate it, or set it aside.

3. Organize your actions: Prioritize your to do list according to what you need to get done when.

4. Reflect: Review your list of actions frequently to determine your next priority. Cross off tasks you have accomplished and update your list.

5. Engage: Take the actions or smaller tasks you can complete right now.

Types of people who will benefit from the GTD method:

People who struggle to focus on one thing at a time

People who feel overwhelmed in their daily lives

7. Rapid Planning Method (RPM)

"RPM" stands for "rapid planning method" or "result, purpose, and massive action plan." It was developed by motivational speaker Tony Robbins as a way to train your brain to focus on a vision of what you want so you can make it real.
How it works:

1. Capturing: Write down all the tasks you need to accomplish this week.

2. Chunking: "Chunk" your tasks together by commonalities. Which items are personal? School-related? Career-focused?

3. Create your own RPM blocks: On the top of a new sheet of paper, make three columns: the task, the result you want from completing that task, and your purpose for completing it. Next, list the actions you can take to get there.

4. Create an empowering role for yourself: If you're a student, you might call yourself the "Study Queen." Anything that will get you jazzed about completing your goal.

Types of people who will benefit from the RPM:

Working students or parents

People who have long-term goals

8. Pickle Jar Theory

This theory helps you figure out what is useful and what is not useful in your daily life. It allows you to plan tasks with time to spare and set priorities for your day.
How it works:
Imagine a pickle jar full of sand, pebbles, and rocks. The sand is at the bottom and the rocks sit at the top.

1. The sand: This represents disrupting elements of your day, such as phone calls, text messages, emails, social media, etc.

2. The pebbles: This represents tasks that need to be completed, but can be done on another day or by someone else.

3. The rocks: These are the most important tasks that need to get done today.

Begin by thinking about how your tasks for the day would fit into the above categories. Then make a task list starting with the rocks and ending with sand (if time permits). Include an honest time estimate next to each. Try not to plan more than six hours of an eight-hour working day. This will leave buffer time for the pebbles and sand.
Types of people who will benefit from the Pickle Jar theory:

Visual people

Concrete thinkers

9. Eat That Frog Technique

This technique is named after a Mark Twain quote: "Eat a live frog the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." Start your day by doing the most onerous tasks first and getting them out of the way.
How it works:

1. Get clear on a goal. What do you want to achieve most?

2. Compile a list of things you need to do to achieve your goal.

3. Organize this list in order of priority. The most important items are probably the most difficult. These are your "frogs."

4. Take action. If you have more than one frog on your plate, eat the nastiest one first.

5. Repeat this cycle every day so that you're always doing something that will push you toward your goal.

Types of people who will benefit from the Eat That Frog technique:

Abstract thinkers

People with long-term goals

Choosing a Time Management Technique That Works for You

Whether you're a full-time student, a working student or a parent going back to school, better time management skills are vital to living a balanced life. If you have a habit of leaving things until the last minute, try using Parkinson's Law or the eat that frog method. If you have a hard time focusing on the task at hand, try the Pomodoro technique of working more intensely in short intervals.

Mastering time management will set you up for success in all areas of your life and will help you avoid test anxiet y when finals roll around. At USAHS, we emphasize supporting our students in their personal and professional lives. We help you develop the tools and additional resources you need to succeed in our graduate degree programs .

Sources:
Allen, Jennifer. "10 Methods of Time Management At Work." BusinessPundit. February 19, 2018. https://www.businesspundit.com/methods-of-time-management-at-work/ Accessed: January 26, 2022

Tay, Daniel. "10 Popular Time Management Techniques." Boost. September 9, 2014. https://www.brightpod.com/boost/10-popular-time-management-techniques Accessed: January 26, 2022

Johnson, Eric. "Full Q&A: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Recode Decode." Vox. November 5, 2018. https://www.vox.com/2018/11/2/18053428/recode-decode-full-podcast-transcript-elon-musk-tesla-spacex-boring-company-kara-swisher Accessed: January 26, 2022

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9 Popular Time Management Techniques and Tools | USAHS

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Looking for a way on how to manage your time better? Read on as we cover nine popular time management tips to help you find which one is effective for you.

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Reminders (Android & IOS) - keep track of tasks and important deadlines

Medito - free meditation app

BetterSleep - meditations, white noise, light music, and bedtime stories

JEFIT - workout tracking app

StressWatch - works with Apple Watch to monitor your current stress levels via your HRV (heart rate variability)

FocusPomo - Pomodoro time management app

Elite HRV - if you're into biohacking, this device tracks your HRV and provides biofeedback training (you'll need a heart rate device, not Apple Watch)

Guava - if you're also dealing with chronic illness or health issues, this app is great for tracking symptoms

Journal - journaling app

lululemon Studio - exercise app with meditations and stretches

iBreathe - simple 4/7/8 breathing for Apple Watch