Let it Go!

Not just a catchy Disney tune.

In the first five minutes of waking up, we can sabotage our entire day and, in turn, not only affect but infect everyone else’s day. Contribute to a more welcoming environment for everyone by letting go of all the day’s stupidities as quickly as they appear.

Whether precipitated by something serious that happened 20 years ago or something dumb that happened 20 minutes ago, holding on to anger, grudges, and any negativity can be hazardous to our physical, mental, and emotional health.

This lesson is about identifying and acknowledging when we hold onto old anger, grudges, and daily nonsense, and how letting it go (“nix it or fix it”) opens up space for a healthier lifestyle and incredible self-growth.

What If??

From endless stress and a huge pain in the (insert body part of your choice) to endless possibilities and huge potential

How many doom-and-gloom “what if” scenarios do we play over and over in our heads that never happen? What if we replaced those draining thoughts with empowering ones?

As lifestyles change and people leave them, adults 50-ish+ often face isolation, which can be a fertile breeding ground for creating negative mental scenarios.

“What if I go back to school and it opens up an amazing new career for me? What if I go to this restaurant and fall in love with a new cuisine? And what if that leads me to taking cooking classes or visiting a new country?” This lesson guides participants to switch the focus from the typical grim “what ifs” to positive ones full of hope and potential.

The Joy of Celebrating Every Little Stupidity

Sounds crazy? You know what’s even crazier? Punishing ourselves for every little stupidity. And how often do we do that? “I can’t believe I screwed up again! What an idiot!” I forgot to get gas. I said something stupid. I lost my key. I tripped over my own feet. I forgot that person’s name again. What a loser I am!

Most of us are self-critical. Maybe it’s in our DNA. Maybe it’s the environment we grew up in. Maybe we’ve just gotten really used to telling ourselves negative things over and over for decades. No matter. It’s completely wasted, unproductive energy. People over 50 are too often under-celebrated by society… and themselves.

Behavior modification, especially for older adults, can be a complex process. Learning to focus on finding the positive nuggets in our everyday life and actions is easy, fun, and exciting, and a perfect introduction to how this whole CBT stuff works.

Are YOU Positive? Are Ya Positive?

It’s not what you think. It’s how you think.

“Who here is a negative person? Nobody ever raises their hand. But we can’t feel anxious, overwhelmed, sad, angry, frustrated or hopeless without first having a negative thought. And how often do we feel overwhelmed, sad, angry, frustrated, or hopeless? Negative thinking is a learned bad habit. Maybe one that’s been practiced for 10, 20, 50 years. The good news? It can absolutely still be unlearned (and it won’t take decades!).

Physical, social, emotional, and life changes can easily lead older adults to a barrage of negative thoughts and feelings such as isolation, anxiety, and hopelessness.

This lesson helps participants recognize negative thoughts as quickly as they appear and replace them with more positive ones that make them feel more confident, capable, appreciated, valued, worthy, smart, talented, good, creative…