January 18th

Class of 2025 “Current 9th Graders” Presentations in Home Rooms

January 20th

Class of 2024 “Current 10th Graders” Presentations in Home Rooms

January 24th

Class of 2023 :Current 11th Graders" Presentation in Auditorium

Assistance with Registration in the Library (Log-in and course selection entry) - Student may attend any date regardless of counselor.

January 26th

Counselors in Library Main Lab during AA

8:30- 9:15

Boyce and Mathis

February 1st

Counselors in Library Main Lab during AA

9:55 to 11:02

Hay, Davis and Monroe

February 3rd

Counselors in Library Main Lab during AA

9:55 to 11:02

Anderson and Wein

**February 4th - Registration Window Closes!**

Counselors will be having individual junior meetings through the month of January prior to them registering for their senior year. We have scheduled these meetings in Google Calendar and invited the student. They will not be receiving a pass, but will have the meeting in their calendar and it will have been created by either one of the counselors or Heather Hartman.

Thank you for your support and Happy New Year from the DC Counseling Office!

A new study shows that close to one in every three teens has experienced PTSD symptoms as a result of the pandemic and its associated trauma. Fear, anxiety, grief, and large and small losses over the last two years—both “Big T” and “little t” types of trauma—have contributed to this startling statistic.

It’s essential for parents and caregivers to understand the symptoms of PTSD in teens, because this disorder doesn’t typically get better on its own. Adolescents need professional support in order to heal from trauma and head off the long-term psychological repercussions associated with PTSD.

What Is PTSD in Teens?

PTSD can be caused by a wide range of traumatic experiences, ranging from accidents and natural disasters to the loss of a parent or other family member. A single traumatic event, such as a car accident or a violent incident, is known as “acute trauma.” Traumatic stress can last days, weeks, or months following the event. A traumatic event is typically an event that results in or threatens death or injury. Moreover, experts define tragedy as an event or circumstance that creates intense distress or sadness.

Ongoing traumatic events, such as exposure to childhood abuse, domestic violence, or gang violence, are called “chronic trauma.” Both acute and chronic trauma can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in teens. Moreover, children and teens can experience vicarious trauma, also known as secondary trauma, caused by indirect exposure to traumatic events via the media or close friends or family members.

12 Common PTSD Symptoms in Teens

For stress to be considered PTSD, symptoms must last more than a month and be severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. PTSD symptoms in teens include the following:

1. Flashbacks
2. Nightmares
3. Panic attacks
4. Confusion and inability to make decisions
5. Difficulty sleeping
6. Finding it hard to enjoy activities that were once pleasurable
7. Irritable or aggressive behavior
8. Emotional numbness
9. Constantly feeling on edge
10. Avoiding people, places, or situations that trigger memories of the traumatic event
11. Difficulty focusing
12. Suicidal thoughts.

Teen PTSD Triggers

A PTSD trigger is a particular detail that sets off memories of the original traumatic event. Triggers can be external, such as certain places, people, situations, smells, sounds, or objects that remind you of the trauma. Or they can be internal: thoughts, emotions, and even physical sensations associated with the experience.

Some triggers are straightforward, such as a video of an accident or assault, or the anniversary of the traumatic event. It’s not surprising that these would catalyze memories. But triggers can also be more subtle and individual—for example, hearing a song that you heard just before the traumatic experience.

Trauma triggers develop when the brain connects specific details, like a song or a smell, to traumatic memories and associations. When the trigger “goes off,” the brain switches into fight-flight-or-freeze mode. Therefore, sensations and emotions related to the traumatic event rush back, creating what’s known as a flashback. Even though there is no actual threat during a flashback, the body reacts as if you are in danger.

Statistics About PTSD in Teens

The new study, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, measured mental health symptoms in 447 adolescents, using industry-accepted scales for anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Results showed that 28.5 percent of the teens were experiencing moderate to high levels of PTSD. In addition, 28 percent had anxiety symptoms, and 37.6 percent had depressive symptoms.

Many more teens are at risk of PTSD. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than two-thirds of adolescents ages 17 and under report having experienced a traumatic event. And the American Psychological Association reports that “nearly all children and adolescents express some kind of distress or behavioral change in the acute phase of recovery from a traumatic event.” Left untreated, this may lead to PTSD in teens.

In fact, teens may be more likely than adults to have PTSD. In one study, researchers at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute reported that PTSD in teens is more common than in adults.

Rates of PTSD are higher for certain types of trauma survivors. Children and teens who go through the most severe traumas have the highest levels of symptoms. More than 75 percent of children who experience a school shooting and approximately 90 percent of those who are sexually abused develop PTSD.

The Long-Term Effects of Teen PTSD

Over time, traumatic stress can impact every area of a teenager’s life. Teens with PTSD use most of their mental and emotional energy to combat PTSD symptoms. Hence, they struggle with daily functioning and relationships. Consequently, here are some of the long-term effects of teen PTSD:

• Increased risk-taking behavior
• Difficulty focusing and thinking abstractly
• Poor academic performance
• Inability to form relationships with peers
• Resisting challenges due to fear.

Therefore, teens with PTSD are unable to properly grow, mature, and learn.

PTSD Treatment Approaches

Overcoming PTSD requires evidence-based mental health treatment. The most effective PTSD treatment modalities include the following:

• Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Cognitive Processing Therapy
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Somatic, or body-based, therapy
• Play therapy, used to treat young children with PTSD who are not able to deal with the trauma directly
• Comprehensive Resource Model: a new approach using elements of psychology, spirituality, neurobiology, and body-based (somatic) techniques.
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Medication is sometimes used to combat PTSD symptoms in teens—typically the same ones used to treat depression and anxiety. However, drug-free solutions for PTSD have been shown to be equally or more effective.

Treatment for PTSD in teens can make all the difference. But sometimes stigma or fear can prevent a teen from asking for help. Therefore, parents and other adults need to monitor teens carefully after a traumatic event, as well as during a period of collective trauma such as we’re experiencing now. Teens suffering from PTSD need comprehensive and compassionate support in order to heal and move forward. Contact us today to learn more about our approach to treating teen trauma.

Sources: American Psychological Association

Coronavirus and your wellbeing

Tips for taking care of your mental wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Read about coronavirus and your wellbeing.

Mask anxiety, face coverings and mental health

Practical tips on coping with anxiety about masks and face coverings. Includes information on exemptions for mental health reasons.

Read about masks, anxiety and mental health.

Difficult feelings about the coronavirus pandemic

Explains feelings you might have about the coronavirus pandemic. Provides tips on managing these feelings and where to get more support.

Read about feelings you might have about the pandemic.

Young people and coronavirus

Information and support for young people who are worried about coronavirus and want to know how to look after their mental health and wellbeing. Includes tips from other young people, and details of organisations who can help.

Go to our hub of coronavirus content for young people.

Coping with mental health problems during coronavirus

Explains some of the common experiences of mental health problems during coronavirus, and has tips for living with mental health problems during coronavirus.

Read about coping with mental health problems during coronavirus.

Accessing treatment and support during coronavirus

Information on how coronavirus is affecting mental health treatment and support, with tips for accessing the support you need. Covers GP appointments, talking therapies and counselling, and psychiatric medication.

Read about accessing treatment and support during coronavirus.

Student mental health during coronavirus

Find out how the coronavirus pandemic may affect your mental health as a student. Includes information on where you can get support and practical tips for coping.

Read about student mental health during coronavirus.

Coping with going into work during coronavirus

If you're going into work during coronavirus, we have tips to help you cope. Our information also helps with understanding difficult feelings, taking care of your mental wellbeing and where to find support.

Read tips on coping with going into work during coronavirus.

Supporting your teen's wellbeing during coronavirus

Information for parents and carers of young people aged 11-18 who are worried about a child's wellbeing, and want to know how to support them.

Read about how to support young people during coronavirus.

Coronavirus and work

Advice and support for working during the coronavirus outbreak, including tips for employers and managers.

Read tips for working during coronavirus.

Coronavirus useful contacts

Details of helpful organisations, public services, government guidance and other types of support available during the coronavirus outbreak.

Get useful contacts for coronavirus.

Bereavement and grief

Information on where to go for support for bereavement, and suggestions for helping yourself and others through grief.

Read about bereavement.

Anxiety and panic attacks

Information about how anxiety can affect us, tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.

Read about anxiety and panic.

Loneliness

Practical tips to help manage feelings of loneliness, and ways to get support.

Read about loneliness.

Trauma

Going through very stressful, frightening or distressing events is sometimes called trauma. We have information on what can help.

Read about trauma.

Social media is an empowering leveler for millions of young users. It gives teenagers a vast outlet to connect with faraway peers and exchange ideas on the cultural and political topics of the day. Some have made small fortunes monetizing their creativity on YouTube and Instagram.

But for some teens, social media will also prove to be the difference maker in losing access to a college education because an admissions officer deemed their speech to be offensive or indicative of bad character.

At a state institution, First Amendment guarantees apply to any type of punitive decision. Colleges are recognized, in our culture and in our courts, as places of special solicitude for freedom of speech, where even extreme ideas are meant to be aired and tested without penalty.

When an already-enrolled student at a state college is suspended or expelled for online speech—a not-infrequent occurrence in today’s culture—constitutional safeguards kick in. Students are entitled to a due process hearing and opportunity to appeal, and if the college is found to have discriminated based on a legally protected viewpoint, the student can be compensated for the loss.

But what if the punishment falls on a not-yet-accepted student? What if social media speech is the deciding factor in denying an otherwise-qualified student a seat in a public institution?

We know that this happens, because research tells us that a growing number of institutions are using Google searches and viewing social media profiles as part of the initial admit/don’t-admit decision.

One survey in July 2017, by the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, found that 11 percent of respondents said they had refused to admit an applicant based on social media content. This includes 8 percent of public institutions, where the First Amendment applies. The survey found that 30 percent of institutions acknowledged reviewing the personal social media accounts of applicants at least some of the time.

That statistic aligns with findings by Kaplan Test Prep, which since 2008 has been surveying admissions officers about the use of social media in admission decisions. In its most recent survey (2020–21), Kaplan reported that 36 percent of admissions officers say they look at applicants’ social media profiles to learn more about them. Of those who do check, 58 percent said the contents had an adverse effect on the applicant.

With all of that information temptingly available on social media pages, surely you’d expect that colleges and universities have rules about what admissions officers can and cannot consider and are training admission officers to obey those rules—wouldn’t you?

With the help of a law student researcher, Courtney Shannon, I set out to find out. We sent 119 requests to the nation’s largest public colleges and universities, asking them to produce any rules, policies, handbooks or training materials addressing the use of social media in admissions.

Shockingly, what we got back was: zero.

Zero out of the 72 institutions that responded said they have any standards that address what can and cannot be considered when admissions officers view social media pages. Of the 72 respondents, 13 of them (18 percent) said affirmatively that they do not consider social media, so no policy was required. That leaves 59 colleges (82 percent of respondents, and half of the original sample) that, presumably, are flying blind. (A full write-up of our findings was recently published in the Hofstra Law Review.)

Our findings align with the findings of the AACRAO in its July 2017 survey. The AACRAO found that just 12 percent of institutions that acknowledge looking at applicants’ social media pages have a formal policy governing how social media figures into the admissions decision, meaning that 88 percent have no policy.

This is a serious problem. Social media can be a revealing window into people’s lives—but, for college admission purposes, perhaps too revealing. A curious admissions officer could find out all manner of information that can’t legitimately be part of a college’s decision and might be prejudicial: the applicant’s political or religious affiliations, gender identity, relationship status, and so on.

If college admissions officers aren’t being trained to disregard legally and constitutionally protected material, young people are at serious risk of capricious—or discriminatory—rejections, which they’ll never find out about and never have the opportunity to challenge.

Faulty self-diagnosis makes treatment a challenge; ‘We felt for a long time that we were competing with social media,’ one teen’s father said

Samantha Fridley would stay up until 3 a.m. watching an endless stream of TikTok videos about borderline-personality disorder, bipolar disorder and multiple-personality disorder.

Many videos were from teens or young adults who said they had these diagnoses. Others were from people claiming to be therapists. They often mention signs they say could be symptoms of these conditions, and encourage viewers to do their own self-evaluation.

Ms. Fridley, a high-school senior in Shenandoah Junction, W.Va., was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at age 10. She recognized herself in the descriptions of the disorders and became convinced at different times that she had each of them. Other teens I spoke to said the same thing.

TikTok videos containing the hashtag #borderlinepersonalitydisorder have been viewed almost 600 million times. Only 1.4% of the U.S. adult population is estimated to experience the disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a nonprofit mental-health advocacy organization. Borderline-personality disorder is almost never diagnosed in adolescents, because their personalities are still forming and because some symptoms, such as having unstable personal relationships and exhibiting impulsive behavior, are hard to distinguish from typical teen behavior, doctors say.

Multiple-personality (aka dissociative-identity) disorder is even rarer, affecting less than 1% of the population, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Videos containing the hashtag #dissociativeidentitydisorder have been viewed well over 700 million times on TikTok. Many of the videos feature teens and young adults as they appear to switch from one personality to another.

When teens watch TikTok videos and decide they have a mental-health affliction—even if they’re really only suffering from adolescence—it can pose a treatment challenge and cause frayed family relationships. Psychologists say there are things parents should and shouldn’t do when confronting their self-diagnosing teen, which I’ll discuss below. For its part, TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., is implementing changes that could minimize streams of single-topic videos.

‘A social currency’

“It can be tricky when there’s a strong clinging to a particular diagnosis,” said Bre-Ann Slay, a clinical psychologist in Kansas City, Mo. TikTok videos that de-stigmatize mental illness and lead some teens to seek help can be positive, she added, but only up to a point.

This past summer at an inpatient child-psychiatric facility, Dr. Slay began seeing several patients a week who were self-diagnosing. When they mentioned they were learning about the conditions on TikTok, Dr. Slay created a TikTok account to understand what they were watching.

“What shocked me the most was how many videos there were about multiple-personality disorder because of how rare it is,” she said.

She and other doctors around the country say they’re seeing more teens coming in with self-diagnoses derived from TikTok. The video platform has overtaken Instagram in popularity among teens this year, according to a recent report from Forrester Research Inc., a market research firm. This year, 63% of U.S. 12- to 17-year-olds used TikTok every week, up from 50% in 2020. The percentage of kids in that age group who used Meta Platforms Inc.’s FB +0.38% Instagram each week fell to 57% from 61% in 2020.

“We have to convince these kids to release their self-diagnoses but when they leave us they go right back into that TikTok community which reinforces their beliefs,” said Don Grant, executive director of outpatient services for Newport Healthcare’s teen treatment center in Santa Monica, Calif. He hasn’t kept a tally of the teens who use TikTok to self-diagnose but said it’s significant.

Dr. Grant, who chairs a committee of the American Psychological Association that develops guidance for psychologists and the public on device and social-media use, explained that being saturated with negative content can alter the brain’s chemistry, displacing feel-good neurotransmitters with stress hormones.

“What happens is adrenaline and cortisol flood your brain, and dopamine and serotonin leave the building,” he said.

Some therapists are going on TikTok to combat misinformation about mental-health conditions. Evan Lieberman, a clinical social worker in Minneapolis, has amassed more than a million followers on TikTok; in some videos, he pokes fun at all the self-diagnosis questions he gets.

“Despite how great the newfound mental-health awareness is among teens, there seems to be a trend of using mental-health diagnoses as a social currency,” he said.

The algorithm

Ms. Fridley, the high-school student, said she didn’t seek out videos about mental-health diagnoses. After she started following some mental-health advocacy accounts on TikTok, she said, the social-media app began serving up videos about various disorders.

Ms. Fridley, who also followed K-pop stars and comedy accounts, said her For You page became overrun with videos about mental-health disorders. A recent Wall Street Journal investigation showed that TikTok’s algorithm picked up on subtle cues from users, such as how long they lingered on a video, and then showed them more and more of the same content.

Many teens have said constant TikTok videos about extreme dieting and exercise contributed to eating disorders. Others developed physical tics after watching video streams of influencers who said they had Tourette syndrome.

TikTok earlier this month said it is testing changes to its algorithm to steer viewers away from too much of one type of content. Currently, TikTok users can select “not interested” on a video if they don’t want to watch more videos from a particular creator. The app maker said it is also working on a new feature that would allow people to choose words or hashtags associated with content they don’t want in their feeds.

“We care deeply about the well-being of our community, which is why we continue to invest in digital-literacy education aimed at helping people evaluate and understand content they engage with online,” a TikTok spokeswoman said. “We strongly encourage individuals to seek professional medical advice if they are in need of support.”

‘It really messed with my head’

Over the course of a year, Ms. Fridley thought she had a different diagnosis every couple of weeks. She jotted them down in her journal, told her parents and brought them up in weekly sessions with her therapist.

Her father, John Fridley, was skeptical of her changing self-diagnoses, but said the family was careful not to dismiss her.

“We felt for a long time that we were competing with social media,” Mr. Fridley said. “For any child with mental-health issues, to be alone in their room with their thoughts and with TikTok is a dangerous combination.”

In April, Ms. Fridley, now 18, entered a Newport Academy residential treatment program in Virginia for her anxiety and depression. She said the conditions worsened during the pandemic, when she was attending school remotely and watching a lot of TikTok.

“It really messed with my head,” she said.

The therapist Ms. Fridley saw at Newport explained to her that relating to some symptoms of a disorder doesn’t qualify someone for a diagnosis. Ms. Fridley said she eventually came to accept that the only conditions she had were depression and anxiety.

Having a break from social media during her 54 days in the device-free residential program helped.

“It was the best feeling ever not to have my phone with me,” she said.

Before she was discharged in May, Ms. Fridley, her family and her therapist agreed on rules to follow at home. Ms. Fridley suggested that she stay off her phone for three months. She eventually began watching TikTok again, but reduced the amount of time she spent on the app and clicked “not interested” on videos about mental-health diagnoses. She said it took about a month for the mental-health videos to disappear completely.

What you can do

If your child comes to you with a self-diagnosis, there are some things medical professionals say you should and shouldn’t do.

Listen. Therapists say it’s best not to dismiss what your child has to say or to show emotion right away, because doing so can cause kids to shut down. Dr. Slay suggests asking kids why they think they have a certain condition and if they’d like to talk to someone about it. Sometimes the queries will pass, but if a child continues talking about a diagnosis, booking an appointment with a professional can help.

Take a break. Sometimes just stepping away from social media for a while, the way Ms. Fridley did, can allow for a new perspective.

Start over. Dr. Grant said some of his teen patients have deleted their TikTok accounts and started over with new ones, because their feeds became saturated with negative content. Starting over and consciously choosing positive content can help.

KEY POINTS

• Not knowing, not doing, and the knowing-doing-gap keeps us from achieving our goals.
• A desire-fueled approach enables us to turn our goals into results.
• Track the percentage of time spent doing focused, productive work towards your goals.

At the start of a new year, we typically take account of what we have accomplished and what we would like to accomplish in the current and coming year(s). We find new determination to set and achieve our goals.

Yet many struggle to achieve the goals they so resolutely desire. We may fall into the blame game – blaming our situation or ourselves for not achieving them. Living through the challenges of the pandemic can make achieving our goals more daunting.

Learning to turn goals into results is important.

Having and achieving goals leads to having and living a life of meaning and purpose. Of the many hurdles that can get in the way of our achieving our goals, broadly speaking they fall into four areas.

Not knowing. Sometimes the problem is that we are not clear about what we want. We don't know what success would look like. So we meander in our efforts. In the absence of clarity, efforts are less directionally focused.

Not doing. Analysis paralysis is the swamp that can suck anybody in, but it is a special hazard for the more intellectually inclined. As they try to maximize and optimize choices, they incur the costs of indecisiveness and inaction. A mindset of risk aversion and reluctance to act leads to the next cause of failure to turn goals into results.

The knowing-doing gap. We know what our goals are at this point, and we often know what to do. But for many reasons, prominent of which is fear, we don't do the needful. We may not know how to do what is required.

Circumstances change. Sometimes, however, extraneous circumstances beyond our control limit what we can do and force us to change our goals and how to achieve them. Buffeted by circumstances, our priorities change. We encounter losses – health, finances, and relationships – that narrow or close options, forcing us to accept what is, adjust accordingly, and accommodate the new normal.

How to turn goals into results

There is a straightforward approach to turning our goals into results. It’s much like embarking on a road trip. It starts with having the desire to visit a destination. That leads to doing the required planning and preparation before setting off on the journey. Acknowledging the possibility that we may encounter road closures and detours that delay us can help us focus on reaching our destination. We can apply the same principles at scale to achieve our short-term and long-term goals.

Desire is a powerful force of human nature. Advertising, branding, and marketing professionals harness it effectively. You, too, must tap into the power of desire to help you accomplish your goals. Generate within you a burning desire to achieve specific goals. Thinking of this process as strategic intent gives you the heuristic to align all you think and do towards achieving your goal(s). Shift your mindset from resisting what is required to the opportunity and ability to do it. This subtle shift from “I must do this” to “I get to do this” will allow you to take pleasure in and derive additional benefit beyond the task—giving you an added boost to do what is required.

Strategic intent in Sanskrit is known as sankalpa, a heartfelt desire, a solemn vow, an intention, determination, or a one-pointed resolve to do something. A sankalpa is a tool meant to harness the will, and to focus and harmonize mind and body on a specific goal. Your sankalpa is not just your intention. It's your heartfelt desire: What you are meant to do in the world.

Planning is essential to achieving goals. An effective way of planning is to analyze, prioritize, and develop an operational plan. An excellent place to start is by taking an inventory of where you're spending your time.

Over 13 weeks, track where you're spending your time at 15-minute intervals. Then analyze the data by simply grouping the specific activities into types of activity. For example, a senior executive discovered she is spending 30% of her time in meetings she initiates, of which 80% are one-on-one meetings and 20% involve teams of people. Another 20% of her time goes into performance reviews. And so on.

What percentage of your time are you spending doing focused, productive work towards your goals? This simple analysis gives you insights into what to stop doing, what to prioritize, and when to spend time aligned with fulfilling your desires. You can use the insights to then create a plan–for the year, quarters, months, weeks, and down to what you will accomplish each day and where you'd spend your time in 15-minute blocks. Bringing this intentionality alone provides the nudge to keep you focused on working towards achieving your goals.

Doing what is required is at the heart of achieving your goals. Three capabilities help. First, learn to manufacture time. Focus on the 20% of the effort that will get you 80% of the results. Don't do that which you can have others do. Delegate. Second, build a team to help you in your journey. Think of elite athletes: They have an entire team of coaches, nutritionists, sports psychologists, and friends helping them prepare for and achieve their goals. Lastly, you don't have to do everything all at once. Activate the power of compounding. Doing tasks incrementally but consistently over time accrues tremendous outcomes. This is the secret behind overnight success, which takes years of consistent and directionally focused effort.

The power of intentional living

Even the best-laid plans can sometimes be ineffective in helping us achieve our goals. The beauty of intentional living is that we can be agile - we can change our goals, come up with new plans, and take the required action to achieve them. Knowing what your goals are, planning and preparing to achieve them, and then doing what is required consistently is a proven recipe for success.

You’ve got this.

Websites:

Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers

Let’s Talk Colorado

Mental Health America Screening

Center for Parent Information and Resources - provides a listing of several different resources for caregivers.

Resources from Dr. April Naturale, PhD, MSW

Dr. Naturale is a traumatic stress specialist in Disaster Recovery and Community Resilience who facilitated a series of conversations with the STEM community in early 2020. Many attendees found her talk to be helpful and healing. Her handouts are provided below.

• Helping Children Cope With the Trauma of Disasters (PDF)
• Coping with Reminders, Holidays and Other Activating Events After a Disaster (PDF)
• Tips for Better Sleep (PDF)

Video:

Grounding Techniques for Stress and Anxiety

Resources for Teens

Video:

Brains: Journey to Resilience

Websites:

LGBT National Help Center

Youth & Young Adult Empowerment

GritX

Let’s Build A Mental Health Crisis Kit

Five steps to eliminate unproductive habits and flourish in the new year.

Each year, many of us make New Year’s resolutions, aiming to be healthier, happier, and more successful in the year ahead. But too often, after a few weeks, we lose momentum.

Our progress may be blocked by unproductive habits that sabotage us. According to neuroscience research, our habits automatically control many of our actions without our conscious thought (Graybiel & Smith, K.S., 2014; Robbins & Costa, 2017). Exerting a powerful influence on us, these habits unconsciously shape the structure of our lives. Research has shown that nearly 50 percent of our everyday behaviors are habitual (Wood, Quinn, & Kashy, 2002).

When we set a new goal, some of these unproductive habits can hold us back (Neal, Wood, & Quinn, 2006). As we try to move forward, it’s like driving with the parking brake on. But psychologists have found that we can begin changing our habits with the process of “self-regulation” (Neal, Wood, & Quinn, 2006).

Before setting new goals for the year ahead, take time to reflect on your life with these five steps. You may discover an old habit that has been blocking your progress. Identifying and eliminating this roadblock can release new energy to move forward.

1. Personal inventory

This week, at the end of each day, ask yourself how much time you spent in each of these categories:

• Eating
• Sleeping
• Exercising
• Meaningful work
• Spiritual growth
• Renewal activities (recreation, reading, creativity, fun)
• Sharing with friends
• Routine maintenance
• Social service
• Other

2. Examine the patterns that emerge.

Do your daily activities reflect your personal values? Is your life balanced in a way that works for you? Do you make enough time for exercise, renewal, and spirituality or are you too bogged down with maintenance and daily chores?

3. Carefully examine the last category: Other.

What else have you been doing? Have you noticed habits that may not be serving you well?

• Have you been spending too many hours on television, YouTube videos, or social media? If so, awareness is the first step to positive change. Ask yourself how you can cut down on these behaviors.
• Have your days been filled with “shoulds” and external demands? If so, what can you delegate, eliminate, or simplify?

4. Ask yourself, “Is there anything missing from my life?”

Perhaps time for personal renewal or something else you value. Can you make room for this by scaling down your involvement in other areas?

5. Finally, when contemplating future choices or commitments, ask yourself:

• Is it necessary?
• Is it healthy?
• Does it express who I really am?

If it doesn’t fit these criteria, why do it? Research shows that having positive personal goals can help us flourish (Emmons, 2003).

Living authentically means taking personal responsibility for the structure of our lives. Think of yourself as an architect designing your life. What changes will help you live with greater balance? With these new insights, you can design new patterns for your life and set goals to live more authentically in the year ahead.