Achieve small, powerful shifts in your life with “The ABCs to Minding Your Mind” by Dr. Rheeda Walker
Clinical psychologist, award-winning professor, and leading scholar, Dr. Rheeda Walker, presents a guide to achieving small but powerfully incremental shifts in your mind and lifestyle.
This is the life hack you’ve been waiting for. If you're tired of self-imposed limitations that keep you from pursuing your more fulfilling life goals, this is for you. If you realize that you deserve more out of life than to be overworked, under-appreciated, or disregarded in favor of someone who has more privilege, this is for you. It’s time for change.
As you know, you already have enough to do. Though you’ve tried, you can’t make sustainable changes before you’re good and ready. Short reminders here and there will probably be most helpful as you try to shift. That’s where the ABCs to Minding Your Mind come in.
What Are The ABCs To Minding Your Mind?
The ABCs are small steps that allow you to rethink and shift your mindset when it comes to how you see yourself in relation to the world around you. This is especially important if you've been dealing with the same kinds of issues for weeks or months or years.
You don’t have unlimited amounts of time or even energy, which is part of the effectiveness of the ABCs as they allow you to engage in small but powerful shifts in your mind and in your behavior.
How To Use The ABCs to Minding Your Mind
Read through the guide and make a list of what resonates most
The list may begin with a reminder that you deserve to live a happier life. Did you decide you want to get 6 hours of sleep each night rather than 5 ½? Do you need to set a reminder to begin your Calm wind down at a specific time? Make a list of all that resonates beginning always with any that involve a shift in mindset. Along the way, if you need to edit your list, do not hesitate to do so.
Create notecard reminders for yourself
Once you have a working list, create one short notecard for yourself for your nightstand. Duplicate the same notecard for your bathroom mirror and for the steering wheel of your SUV. Once you’re comfortable with the content of the first note, switch to the next item on your list.
Take small steps in your own time and give yourself grace
If it takes three weeks for you to feel convinced or two months to adopt whatever the reminder on your notecard says, go with it. You are on no one’s timeline but your own. If you have to revisit item 2 on the list after starting item 4, do that and without giving yourself a hard time. This is what grace looks like.
If you take your time and commit to small steps, you will benefit from an immense sense of accomplishment to act in your own self-interests. There is a lot of competition for your resources. Once you see what you can accomplish for yourself, the sky is the limit.
Dr. Rheeda Walker, Ph.D.
Dr. Rheeda Walker is a clinical psychologist, award-winning professor, and a leading scholar who has published more than 60 scientific papers on African American mental health, suicide risk, and emotional resilience.
Dr. Walker's impact has expanded beyond academia with the release of her first book, The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health. Dr. Walker debunks myths about mental health, builds the case for psychological fortitude, and delivers practical advice for use in everyday life.
Her charismatic vision and practical approach to life’s challenges has led to numerous appearances on Good Morning America, The Breakfast Club, and NPR to name a few. Her expertise has been cited in The New York Times, Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Houston Chronicle among others.
Find out more about Dr. Walker on her website and follow her work on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
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