SELF - CARE MEDICAL

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SETTING UP GOALS

When the time comes to outline your plan and its goals, try to "starve problems and feed solutions". That is, use your own strengths and interests to combat your weaknesses. If you want to stop smoking — and have considered taking up running — you may discover that you're ready to break the tobacco habit by the time you've worked up to three or four miles a day. By centering your actions on goals — which enrich your life rather than depriving you of something — you'll probably be more successful in the long run at getting rid of negative behavior than you would be if you attacked the problems directly.

After you have a general idea of what kind of self-care program you'd like to begin, brainstorm a little bit — consider lots of possible goals — before you narrow down your aims. If you want to develop an exercise program, for example, consider swimming the English Channel or running in a marathon! Be creative and have fun with your brainstorming . . . then gradually fine-tune your ideas to include only attainable aims.

Once you get down to serious planning, you should gather as much information as you can about your proposed activities. Start with your own personal resources: Were you an athlete in high school? Have you always wanted to learn how to paint? Your resolution can give you an opportunity to reconnect with old skills or to develop new interests. You should also check into outside resources which may be of some help to you. Organizations such as Weight Watchers, Alcoholics Anonymous, or women's consciousness-raising groups can provide tremendous support . . . as can any of your friends who are already successfully losing weight, running, meditating, or whatever. And don't neglect the special interest publications (books and magazines) in your field of endeavor . . . they offer up-to-date information.

Try, in addition, to inject a healthy dose of freedom into your goals . . . avoid locking yourself into a rigid set of rules which are bound to restrain you. Say to yourself, "I will allow myself yoga breaks from work whenever I feel like it." Or, "When I go running, I will let myself dance, skip, stop to look at a flower, or do anything I want to."

A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS

Once you've started a program of self-improvement — whether it be for weight control, stress reduction, or exercise — keep it going with lots of support. Pay attention to your successes and reward yourself for each victory (no matter how small) that you score as your self-care plan progresses.

Be careful not to sabotage your program, either . . . instead, create a supportive atmosphere in which it's easy to work toward the goal you have in mind. Remove all temptations (such as high-calorie junk food) from your surroundings and replace them with positive support devices that will encourage you to continue your plan. (For instance, you might want to set aside a special room in the house for your daily yoga sessions.)

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