DO HARD THINGS by Aniya Porter

Chapter One

aniya91804 — 2024-02-01 07:02:41 UTC

Find: Never Lose Me by Flo Milli; this song just really makes me feel like a bad b**ch.
Feel: "I feel like this movement doesn't look good in my body." I chose orange for this because I feel like it was an in-between negative self-talk but this makes me want to get better if that makes sense.
Figure out: I think my self-talk honestly motivates me to prove my wrong and get better.
Book takeaway: "We've fallen for a kind of fake toughness that is: control-and power-driven, developed through fear, fueled by insecurity, based on appearance over substance."

Chapter Two

aniya91804 — 2024-02-01 07:16:57 UTC

Discovery: That toughness makes the pull for closure amid uncertainty.
Skill: Being capable of moving through a hard class even when I am tired or physically in a funk.
Find or create: The Bug Collector By Haley Heynderickx; this song is about growth and caring and it really soothes my mind.
Book takeaway: "When we're exhausted, or experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety, we're more likely to take the quick route, finding an exit in win whatever way possible. We choose the easiest path."

Feel

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 03:04:53 UTC

The color blue is viewed by society as a "sad" color but personality I see as a calming color.

Feel

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 03:09:37 UTC

Red is seen as a cautionary color and I think is color perfectly incapsulates the idea of a world/a situation as a threat.

Envision/Reflect:

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 03:36:07 UTC

1.) The very first thing I like to remember in managing my stress is remembering that the "time" or "period" of the situation is not forever.

2.) Then I really just like to breath, and I know the idea or concept of breathing is really important taking deep breaths to really get through certain situation.

3.) Lastly, leaning into my community, just having a moment of laughter or smiles really just makes a class better and gets me through.

Personal inventory

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 04:11:46 UTC

Lower the Bar entering Ballet Class:

negative self-talk immediately
decrease in energy
thinking about a million other things

Raise the floor: I like congratulating myself for little victories, especially in ballet class. Things like when I get a bar combo fully all the way through or fully finishing a grand allegro change my negative entities of myself. Also, remember that everyone in class is focusing on what they are doing and not worried about me.

Shed Perfection

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 04:30:58 UTC

1a.) I struggle with moving slowly.

2a.) I struggle with the idea of sequencing movement

3a.) I struggle with keeping my body fully in tune with class.

1b.) In moving slowly I like to take it at my pace and see how my body reacts to the slow movement.

2b.) In sequencing movement, I like to maybe create a little phrase and then bounce it off my peers and ask their opinions or advice.

3b.) I think this hard but to stay fully focused and in-tune throughout the class, I like to take the class in chunks energy-wise and not use all my energy in the first 30 mins.

Trust yourself:

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 04:32:55 UTC

My confidence has improved tremendously from dance to out the classroom. I more confident in the movement I give out and words I give out as well.

Book Takeaway:

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 04:36:03 UTC

"A large part of developing confidence lies in creating a secure but flexible sense of self."

A true confidence song

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 04:38:49 UTC

lyrics:

"Guess I was born to make mistakes
But I ain't scared to take the weight
So when I stumble off the path
I know my heart will guide me back"

a quiet ego role model: Aniya Porter

aniya91804 — 2024-02-17 04:43:58 UTC

Honestly I don't have one person that I see as a role model so I decided to add a picture of myself because I am proud of myself and the overall growth I have made physically and mentally.

What's a behavior that he describes that felt familiar, either because you've seen someone else exhibit it, or because you've done it yourself?

aniya91804 — 2024-03-04 07:18:43 UTC

Choosing to be tough, I find myself doing a lot. Bottling up how I really feel in order to get through day to day hard tasks.

Leading Yourself

aniya91804 — 2024-03-04 07:26:31 UTC

From Small to Large, "Instead of wrestling the giant monster, start with the smallest item that you can have control over that's related to the problem." This exercise I find myself doing a lot from my dance classes to my STEM classes. It is the most effective way in dealing with all situations. Breaking them down to manageable chunks to minimize stress.

Leading Others

aniya91804 — 2024-03-04 07:32:54 UTC

Personally in regards to this class, there is a lot of freedom when it comes to this class. It is a lot of the ability to learn and take corrections without letting it hinder your own movement.

"If a particular voice reaches awareness, its because it has a stronger feeling or sensation behind it." In the section "Our Inner Voice", discusses the idea behind our subconscious mind and how the thoughts affects our day to day occurrences. How do you attempt to shut out those subconscious thoughts in order to complete your daily hard tasks?

aniya91804 — 2024-03-04 07:42:17 UTC

Ultimately, I believe it is very hard to quiet the subconscious noise that plagues the back of our minds but I prefer to fully quiet my mind and think about the execution of tasks rather than worrying about how they are being done.

Link a song that reminds you of when you Win your Inner Debate.

aniya91804 — 2024-03-04 07:45:12 UTC

After reading Chapter 6, identify one way you found successful for yourself to put distance between yourself and your thoughts. Also, change the color of this Padlet to identify the connection between your thoughts and yourself.

aniya91804 — 2024-03-04 08:00:53 UTC

One way I found success is through training my mind and recognizing certain times when negative self-talk comes into my mind. The reason I chose orange is because of the in-between yellow and "sunshine" self-talk and between red and "negative" self-talk.

What mental habits/skills did you apply during any of the conference activities and how did they work for you? Alternatively, did you learn any new mental skills or habits, and what were they?

aniya91804 — 2024-04-01 21:56:36 UTC

I found myself in class being supportive and encouraging of others while also being supportive of myself.

What was something challenging or hard that occurred during ACDA and how did you respond to it? Were you able to practice any of the skills or apply any of the insights our book has offered us?

aniya91804 — 2024-04-01 21:56:53 UTC

Something challenging was trying to open while other schools may be competitive or somewhat closed off.

What was something you discovered or encountered during the conference that has made you aware of a horizon goal you want to work toward? Horizon goal = something that will take at least a year to realize. How might you begin working toward this goal within the courses you are currently taking?

aniya91804 — 2024-04-01 21:57:04 UTC

I discovered that I am very confident and good at retaining and grasping choreo to make it my own.

Helping our Helpless Child

aniya91804 — 2024-04-01 22:00:07 UTC

1.) In this post, describe a typical moment when your Helpless In your description, include any specific/typical things your Helpless Child says.

My helpless child comes out when I am doing something I am not confident in. I find myself having very negative self-talk and talking down on myself and the way I am moving.

2.) Next, refer to the book section and describe TWO other selves listed there that could come forward, listen to your Helpless Child, and help you move from Helpless Child to agent of change. Include the specific things each of these adult selves might say to comfort/validate your Helpless Child and how it would orient you toward productive action.

My faithful friend would comfort my helpless child and let her know what she is doing is very good. My calm optimistic friend would give good advice and help my helpless child for the future.

Switching self talk from me to she

aniya91804 — 2024-04-01 22:07:42 UTC

I find myself doing this a lot when I am struggling in a class or doing an activity that is hard and I think it helps me get through things and accomplish what I want to accomplish.

Positive/Negative

aniya91804 — 2024-04-01 22:09:31 UTC

I have been doing self-talk my whole life. Not in a "talking to myself" way but more in reinsuring myself that what I am doing is ok. Sometimes stern and sometimes soft and gentle the self-talk really does help me in times when I dont have someone to talk to.

Keep Your Mind Steady Exercises

aniya91804 — 2024-04-16 00:43:31 UTC

The one exercise I chose to do was "Turning the Dial: Increase and Decrease the Volume". I practiced this while doing my assignments. I think it is easy to fall out of focus and turn to my phone and scroll. An in "Zooming in and out" from focus made me realize that I have a control on my attention and how focused I can be to get stuff done. Magness says " We are trying to develop the capacity to have control over our attention. The hope is that over time, your mind learns to focus on what matters, ignoring what doesn't".

What's one other takeaway from this chapter that you want to remember/that applies to your life?

aniya91804 — 2024-04-16 00:50:04 UTC

One idea that applies to my life is "Develop the Ability to Respond Instead of React." It says "For deeply ingrained mental habits, your brain might skip right from feeling a particular sensation to an action." The ability to draw out negative emotions to be able to use mental skills in order to move through the negative emotions is a skill I work on in dance to everyday life.

Broad Vs Narrow: Changing Your Processing Ratio Exercises

aniya91804 — 2024-04-16 01:05:23 UTC

I chose "Cognitive Zooming: Weird Versus Normal", to focus on. The approach I took this exercise was by recognizing the different between regular and unusual self-talk. I think sometimes some of the things I say in my head genuinely makes no sense but I feel inclined to say them which is unusual. So in changing it to regular things like words of encouragement.

What's one other takeaway from this chapter that you want to remember/that applies to your life?

aniya91804 — 2024-04-16 01:11:54 UTC

The idea of "Flexible and Adaptable" is what I use the most in contemporary. Magness says "The ability to home in, when their mind is screaming at them to turn their attention elsewhere, allows them to extract more information , and potentially reappraise what they are experiencing. I think this is so important in completing any physically demanding activity. The ability to pay attention and navigate what our bodies are experiencing to without freaking out and giving up our focus.

Importance of belonging as key to long-term success

aniya91804 — 2024-04-27 05:22:10 UTC

The thing my mom and I discuss regularly is about belonging and being truly me. I think this year has been so hard especially with friends and not being myself. Struggling with the idea of being at such a big institution around so many people who have their group of people they belong too and feeling like I have adhere to that. I think going into spring semester I totally changed that trajectory. There was one conversation I had with my mom a few weeks ago and she said "Belong to yourself." That resonated with me fully and changed how I view everything from friendships to school. I think that I was spreading myself too thin and looking back I didn't even like what I was "forcing" myself to do. However, after that talk I realized that I don't have to have friends, I don't have to please people, and I don't have to belong to anyone as long as I belong to myself because caring for myself and my mental is a full time job.

(Also I don't have a selfie because she is two hours away in Houston)

Big Picture

aniya91804 — 2024-04-27 06:18:51 UTC

I think the thing I worked a lot this semester and more into the future is Belonging to myself. I flipped the idea from Chapter 10 to fit my life and personally will be taking these practices to my daily life from now to the future.