Health Paradigms
We get stuck in our health’s’ culture, paradigms and patterns and want to change.
Even though we want change, we keep doing the same thing.
Even when we know we are doing the wrong thing, we keep doing it.
Even when we agree to change, we don’t follow through.
Even when we commit, to a program or plan, we may not follow the advice.
Why?
Don’t get mad or disappointed in yourself.
The reason is how your thinking pattern has developed.
You were born without these habits of thinking. Over a life time of repeated thought and behavior, your brain developed synaptic connections that create your thought patterns. Whether you realize it or not, this highly developed, super-organized thought pattern is the operating system to your behavior.
Today we ask you to edit your thinking. Thoughts that might present themselves to stop you like, this is not going to work with or without help. You are going to have all sorts of thoughts like that pop up throughout these newsletters, resisting the new instructions. Don’t get upset and don’t worry, that is normal. Now for the good news; you can change. Yes, you can!
You will need to Train Your Mind. You’ll learn that you can change your thinking. Throughout these newsletters, you will learn techniques to change your thinking.
No matter what thoughts come into your mind, decide and commit to follow the advice. Together we will develop new patterns….a new operating system in regards to your health ….new patterns to success. Today edit your thoughts; and edit the thinking that resists advice.
When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge. -Fran Dresser
The best way to predict the future is to create it. To achieve health, expect a positive outcome and work hard to achieve it. Your attitude and beliefs about your control over future life events are important success factors. The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
Do you believe that your destiny is controlled by yourself or by external forces (such as fate, luck, or other external circumstances)?
Locus of control (LOC) is a concept that refers to the extent people perceives how their personal behavior influences life events.
The view is that behavior is largely guided by reinforcements (rewards and punishments) and that through contingencies such as rewards and punishments, individuals come to hold beliefs about what causes their actions. These beliefs, in turn, guide what kinds of attitudes and behaviors people adopt.
A locus of control orientation is a belief about whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent on what we do (internal control orientation) or on events outside our personal control (external control orientation).
External Locus of Control
Individual believes that their behavior is guided by fate, luck, or other external circumstances
Internal Locus of Control
Individual believes that their behavior is guided by their personal decisions and efforts.
Is an internal locus of control desirable?
In general, it seems to be mentally healthy to know that one has control over those things which one is capable of influencing.
In an internal locus of control it is generally seen as being desirable. Having an internal locus of control is voluntary or intentional, or personal control, self-determination, etc.
It is important to note that people looking in the overly simplistic view notion that internal is good and external is bad. There are important subtleties and complexities to be considered. For example:
• Internals can be psychologically unhealthy and unstable. Overly internal people who lack competence, efficacy and opportunity can become neurotic, anxious and depressed. Internals need to have a realistic sense of their circle of influence in order to experience 'success'.
• Externals can lead easy-going, relaxed, happy lives.
Research has found that people with a more internal locus of control seem to be better off. They tend to be more achievement oriented and to get better paid jobs. Do privilege and disadvantage cause LOC beliefs or do the beliefs cause the situation?
Sometimes Locus of Control is seen as a stable, underlying personality model, but this may be misleading, since research indicates that that locus of control is largely learned. There is evidence that, at least to some extent, LOC is a response to circumstances. Some psychological and educational interventions have been found to produce shifts towards internal locus of control.
Internally controlled people perceive themselves as having control over the outcome of events, including their health. They believe that responsibility for outcomes is based, at least partially, on their personal actions. They are masters of their fate.
Those who are externally controlled typically perceive things to happen by chance, luck, fate, or the control of powerful people. Life is seen as a game of chance where whatever will be, will be.
Locus of control is strongly related to success and achievement of personal goals and is a learned concept. Generally, an internal LOC is seen as desirable. Research has shown that males tend to be more internal than females and that people become more internal as they get older.
Many people with an external LOC face numerous life challenges or lack role models and opportunities for independent decision-making. LOC is also situation specific. People are generally more internal in familiar situations where they have some experience and more external in unfamiliar environments and apt to defer to the expertise of others.
LOC is reflected in a person’s behavior with respect to health. For example, externals, as believers in chance or fate, are more likely to buy lottery tickets, read horoscopes, and own lucky charms. They have also been found to take fewer precautions to protect their health and are less likely than internals to search for health related information and to engage in physical activities.
Internals are more likely to read self-improvement books because they believe that success depends on preparation, sacrifice, and hard work. They are also more likely to seek out information about maintaining their health and more likely to take action to prevent or remedy ill health.
Are you primarily an internally controlled person or an externally controlled person? In other words, do you see yourself as having some control over future life outcomes or at the mercy of fate or “the powers that be”?
Some of the questions below address the following choices:
> Are unhappy events in life the result of bad luck or personal mistakes?
> Does it pay to plan things in advance or do most things work out as a result of good or bad luck?
> Is what happens to people mostly of their own doing or are most things in life beyond their control?
> Can ordinary people influence the government or does a small group in power run everything?
LOC beliefs are generally learned in childhood and can become self-perpetuating later in life. People become externally controlled when they repeatedly experience situations over which they perceive themselves having little or no control over what happens to them. If you find that you have an external LOC, don’t despair. LOC can be changed with patience, determination, and focus.
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
How do people move from an external LOC toward an internal LOC? Educators and psychologists often suggest the following:
> Set small, quick, goals with a high probability of success so you’ll learn to attribute positive results to your own efforts. Include a specific outcome, a timeline, and an action plan.
Lose 4 pounds in 5 weeks by eliminating 200 calories per day and exercising to burn off 200 calories (400 calories x 7 days = 2,800 calories/week x 5 weeks = 14,000 calories divided by 3,500 = 4).
> Since you are prone to look externally to others for direction, rewards, and reinforcement; find people to support you in your health improvement efforts that can serve as positive role models or mentors you can learn from. Ask them for guidance or resources where needed.
> Make a list of positive and negative events that happen in your life over the course of the next month and describe how your personal actions (or lack of action) affected the outcome.
> Think about your childhood learning experiences. Did your parents emphasize hard work and responsibility and give you promised rewards upon the completion of tasks? Or do you remember life being out-of-control and that planning and hard work did not seem to matter?
Understanding how your LOC beliefs were shaped will help you take action to change them.
Use the Locus of Control Worksheet to better understand your personal LOC belief system.
Locus of Control Worksheet
Question Health Behavior
Do you primarily have an internal or external locus of control? Why?
How did childhood experiences affect your locus of control?
List several examples of how your locus of control affects your current practices.
What words and phrases do you use that indicate your locus of control?
Examples:
“If it is to be, it is up to me”
“Why is this happening to me?”
Where do you go for information and support to make behavior changes?
What steps, if any, will you take to change your locus of control?
Action Steps
Health
> Take an online health locus of control survey and complete the worksheet to learn more about yourself.
Online locus of control survey:
> Make a list of your targets of blame for poor health practices (job, parents, lack of time and money).
> Work on a specific short term health goal with a high probability of success.
To learn more about wellness and the missing vital nutrients order:
'The Common Sense Nutrition Approach to Wellness and a Better Quali... by Dr. Dan Fouts
Marian Tschiegg, RN Marvin Tschiegg
Glyutritional Wellness Consultant Professional Health Coach
Nutraceutical Representative
Weight Management Advisor
pluswellness4women@gmail.com 941-379-0172
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