Why Can't I Finish Things? The Project Resistance Curve

 So you start a major project - a book, a paper, a renovation, a garden, a website, a fitness routine - and at first you're quite charged up about it. You make good progress and sense that you're "getting there." Then about halfway through you start losing steam. Alternative projects suddenly seem far more attractive, and the one you have chosen seems misguided. Should you switch? Should you keep going? Is this about you and your flaky lack of perseverance, or is it normal? Welcome to the project resistance curve: An introduction for both mental health professionals - and their clients.

30 Steps to Better Sleep: A 3-Part Video Series

For many people struggling with the difficulties of life, sleep disruption is one of the most troubling effects. It is also one of the biggest causes of feed-forward spirals. Poor sleep can cause lower energy during the day, poor concentration, flattened mood, increased proneness to stress, and much more. These in turn can make other problems worse: we avoid exercise, overuse caffeine to heighten daytime alertness (which itself can contribute to sleep problems that evening), make more errors at work, become less efficient, and engage in fewer of the activities that sustain us. 

Consequently, getting the sleep/wake cycle on track is often one of the most important targets of therapy. Speaking as a clinician, if a client and I do great work with every other aspect of their life but the sleep is still lousy, this can impose a significant brake on the benefits. Here are three videos on the subject of getting a good night's sleep, each offering 10 strategies that can really help. 

In the first video, we consider 10 things you might already be doing that could be contributing to the problem.

   

 In the second video, we consider 10 aspects of your bedroom that can help you get better sleep.

   

 The third video provides 10 effective habits that promote better sleep.

 

How to be Miserable: Define Yourself By Your Aspirations, Not Your Achievements

Another in a series of lessons How to be Miserable, over at the HOW TO BE MISERABLE YouTube Channel: Define yourself by your aspirations, not your achievements. Our culture encourages people to identify their great interests or ambitions, and then identify themselves with these as though they are accomplishments rather than aspirational ideas. Doing so is a classic way to build a "false self" that begins to work against the person's well-being. Here's how.

The Assertiveness Workbook: Barriers to Assertiveness - Your Personal History

Part of a series based on The Assertiveness Workbook. SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel to get new videos as they are posted.

The Assertiveness Workbook: The Barriers to Assertiveness

Part of a series based on The Assertiveness Workbook. SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel to get new videos as they are posted.

The Assertiveness Workbook: The Assertive Style

Fourth in a series based on The Assertiveness Workbook. SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel to get new videos as they are posted.

The Assertiveness Workbook: The Passive-Aggressive Style

Third in a series based on The Assertiveness Workbook. SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel to get new videos as they are posted.