Thursday Truths--Happy New Year

Happy New Year--Or Tips To Make It One

It's a new year and time for most--not all--to take stock of their lives and set new resolutions.... Dieting, quitting smoking, being less stressed are all common themes people look at when January rolls around--so I'm going to share some fun tips/distractions to help you along the path to success

When I quit smoking last year--one of things I had to learn to do was find other ways to channel my energy and thoughts away from my desire for smoking--and it is usually the same thing when it comes to dieting... To be successful you have to find new ways to deal with the stress of cravings--and with the help of whatever medicines you are using--hopefully creating new ways to distract yourself can help.

1) Fill the time with something new.
One of the best way to defeat cravings is to use that time period for something else--a built in distract since most cravings have been proven to disappear in a 10-20 minute from the first stirrings. I would use this time to stop down at work and play on Sporcle.com for a quiz or two to distract me from the stress--using my brain in a different way really seemed to help.

I also used Twitter a lot to find quick stories to read as I would take a brisk walk from my desk to the other side of the office or even around the block for lunch... And Twitter is not all Kim Kardashian butt pics and gossip--I follow Morgan Fairchild (@morgfair) who is constantly posting stories about art, world politics, animals and science facts.... I also follow Forever Young Adult (4everYA) which is a twitter about things like Sweet Valley High, Twilight and a million good--and in some case forgotten--YA books, TV shows and stars...

I also found using Instagram with the right people to be a great brief and uplifting distraction... For male fashion I follow blogger Justin Livingston (Justinliv) is one of the most wearable and "real life" fashion guys out there--besides great looks he has a fun and goofy personality that makes me smile and enjoy clothing... For food porn I follow Thug Kitchen (thugkitchen)--they are the best for really healthy and usually vegan meal ideas served with street slang... And when quitting smoking or dieting it is all about the cravings and this account gave me fun options to try... And for general fun you could follow Logreglan--the official Instagram of the Reykjavik police which sounds odd but is some of the most odd, funny and charming pictures you can see--sure to bring a smile

The reason I am suggesting phone apps where is that is it is something you can always have with you on the go!

2) Create Positive Little Moments
I found one of the best things I did during this time was to find little things to make me unexpectedly happy... The other side benefit of pursing happy little things was that I gradually shifted from associating simple things like coffee and cigarettes with my morning routine to a new one with tea and a morning walk--creating something positive to  latch onto...

The first thing I suggest is finding a new way to start your day--whether it is a new route to work, a podcast to engage with or just simply shaking up your coffee drink order... There is the secret Starbucks menu (starvuckssecretmen.net) to help you wake up in a new way--I love the "medicine ball" which contains two types of tea and steam lemonade!

If you're a walker like I am--you can try a new mapping app like The Moves ($3 at App store) to work out a new travel route which will shake up your mind and help break bad habits. As a side note, this add helps to track the number of steps you take daily with out using up all the energy in your phone which works for us dieters too--increasing and monitoring exercise easily... You can also do this route changing with your auto commute as well--change these things up for the first 6 weeks of your health kick and it will be a huge help but then you can go back to the old travel routes which will feel new again!!! (This six weeks thing is a good mind trick in general)

3) Embrace the Milestones
While I'm not out to make people overshare--no one loves the dieter who never stops talking about his diet--I do think you have to have a plan to celebrate your success as you go with little rewards... One of the things that really worked with me was having a a list of big and small items i could get as I went through the quitting process; some were big items like limited edition sneakers from Converse while others were simple like a eyebrow trimming or a day at the used bookstore with 5 dollars and no real mission... The more you make this process fun and exciting the more success you will have... Use the money you are saving for museum trips or spa days, a small extra coffee or cocktail or plans with friends and famly... Make it about you

But remember most of all that this is your journal--figure why you want to change, how that change best works for you and how you want to be once you have made that change.... You can do it

(As always--I got jack from any of the companies or people or accounts I listed above. I just like their shit)