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Strengthen your defenses by reducing emotional vulnerability. This means that we take care of ourselves on a daily basis so that we are at our best when we need to address crises or stressors in our lives.
Marsha Linehan has developed the acronym, “PLEASE Master” to identify daily behaviors that can strengthen our emotional resolve and minimize emotional breakdowns.
In true Marsha Linehan form, the acronym is not perfect, and we have to pull letters from arbitrary places. However, the message is valid.
Treat PhysicaL illness: Take care of pain. Manage other conditions that require daily maintenance. We become irritable and intolerant when suffering from illness.
Balanced Eating: Monitor nutrition. Many foods taste good in the short term and cause problems in the long term. Pay attention to processed and artificial foods, sugar, and wheat.
Avoid mood-Altering drugs: Alcohol, marijuana, caffeine, and other street drugs affect our emotional well-being.
Sleep: The average adult requires 7.5 hours of sleep per day. A sleep cycle is about 1.5 hours. We do better if we wake up at the end of sleep cycle, and it is best if this happens naturally. However, if we need to wake up to an alarm, then the best practice is to go to sleep so that we wake up at the completion of a sleep cycle. As a rule, 7.5 hours is ideal. For adolescents, 9 hours is recommended. As 6 hours is the completion of a sleep cycle, 6 hours of sleep usually is better than 7 hours. Waking up in the middle of a cycle tends to be more taxing on the body.
Exercise: Exercising 20 minutes per day helps the body to cleanse the blood of toxins that build up from impure foods and from hormones released into the system. Other benefits include increased energy and weight loss.
Build Mastery: Do at least one thing every day that makes us feel competent. It can be anything–Work, Housecleaning, Recreational outlets. Anything that makes us feel proud of the accomplishment, and it does not have to be significant to others.
Our video this week is Brene Brown. She has come up in conversation several times over the past few weeks. It seemed fitting to include her this week.