Just a few short weeks ago, we were asked to stay at home and not go out unless we absolutely had to. Decisions were made for us about what we could or could not do. We may not have liked it, but our decisions were easy. That’s because we understand “on/off” thinking or “dichotomous thinking”. But, what is it really and how does this type of thinking hold us back when it comes to positive behavior changes?

With all that is going on in our world, the words of Charles Darwin are particularly insightful to me. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is most adaptable to change.” So, what does adaptability really mean and why is it important?

After a few weeks of working at home, educating our children, or attending classes online, many of us have fallen into habits that we wish we hadn’t started. Much of this unwanted behavior may have begun as a way to soothe us and reduce our anxiety. But now we are starting to look at our lives and realize that many of these habits will not serve us well in the long run. So, how do we begin to reverse them?

Everyone seems to be talking about the need to establish “our new normal”. You may have noticed that people have a lot of ideas on what activities we should include in this new normal. There are two concerns with this broad-based approach. Let’s learn what they are and how to successfully establish our own personal “new normal”.