Clearing Away The Old to Make Room for the New

---

You miss 100% of the
​shots you don't take.”  
-Michael Jordan

---

Something we can always count on in life is change.
Our body replaces itself every 7-10 years, while some of our more important cells renew more rapidly such as red blood cells that renew every 4 months, or the cells from out gut that renew every 4 days.

Written by: Susan Cacciola RN BSN WCC : Integrative Nurse Life Coach

Change is a necessary part of our personal journey and touches all aspects of life.

Internal changes can help you to focus and become the person you want to be!
Developing the ability to pinpoint areas in your life that need further development shows a commitment to progression and confidence in your own abilities.
​
External changes teach you lessons, make you more flexible and encourage you to move forward in life.

Change:

- Ensures variety, excitement, adventure and growth.
- Can lead to new opportunities and experiences.
- Can bring an end to a bad or negative situation.
- Can help you to move on and not remain STUCK!
- Documents milestones along your journey.
- Leaves memories of how you dealt with changes along the path. When we learn the lessons, we don’t have to keep repeating the life events that make us uncomfortable.

Change happens whether we like it or not!

Although the concept of change can be unsettling or difficult, embracing change:

• As a passing thought
• A process we are contemplating
• A realist plan put in action
• Or evaluation of an attempted plan to reach your goal [even a plan that fails!]
• Is an important step towards positive personal growth and development in our lives!

When you believe in yourself and take charge of your own life, stearing your own ship towards your dreams, you discover the enormous power each and every one of us has to do GREAT things! Self-acceptance, self-care and self-love are the basics for achieving your dreams and truly being happy.

So, where do you start?
As Michael Jordan said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.”

Here are some ways to clear out the old to make space for a NEW and BETTER version of YOU!

1. Make a vision board!

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes." - Andrew Carnegie

• Dream and dream BIG! After all, why settle for less?
• Believe in yourself and your ability to create your world!
• Think of your wildest and best dream of YOU, in all aspects of your life.
• Now collect pictures, words, or poems and make a collage of what the “NEW YOU” will be.
• Look at it regularly to keep you on track.
• Take steps, no matter how small each day, to reach those goals.
• Forgive yourself when you fail or fall short, but keep going.
• Enjoy and congratulate the “NEW YOU” you have become.

2. Today is YOUR day to release all that no longer serves your highest health and wellness.

• Write down all that you want to get rid of in your life. Be specific.
• Put the emotions down on paper!
• Relationships that compromise your best you!
• Things holding you back in life!
• And, pause a few minutes……IT IT OKAY!
• Forgive yourself for all the times you were not your best!
• Forgive yourself for all the times you failed or were afraid to try!
• Forgive yourself for the failed relationships, the unsatisfactory jobs
• Take those papers and burn them in a fire.
• I love to release them into a campfire, fire pit, or even in a simple candle.

3. Practice mindfulness to change your actions and behaviors.

• Begin to take notice of how you feel when you are stressed.
• Locate where in your body you hold the stress. Focus on giving yourself permission to release the stress and to soften those areas of stress.
• Learn to divert the negative thoughts that we all experience. Allow them to pass without latching onto them and then redirecting yourself to something positive.
• Slow down your reactions to things. Count to 5 or 10, and be mindful of what you say and do.
• Give yourself time to center yourself before dealing with stressful situations.

4. Learn or participate in an alternative/integrative practice:

• Therapeutic Touch [the nursing version of Reiki]
• Guided Meditations
• Hypnotherapy
• Tai chi
• Yoga
• Jin Shin Jyutsu finger holds
• Breathwork classes
• Use color, aromatherapy, or music therapy to change or redirect your mood

5. Use the MyPlate method on YOURSELF to make healthy food and portion choices: My Plate | ChooseMyPlate

In 1974, Charles E. Butterworth Jr., MD, wrote in his article titled, The Skeleton in the Hospital Closet, that nutrition remains one of the most under-addressed healthcare areas, which is true even today. As nurses, we know that nutrition is often the basis of health and disease. Make knowledge about nutrition an educational goal for yourself, your family, and your clients to maximize health and wellness.
If you want to know more about BECOMING the best version of YOURSELF, contact:
Susan at :The Nurse is IN! at: nurse@ttohc.com

Susan Cacciola RN BSN WCC is a Registered Nurse and an Integrative Nurse Life Coach, assisting clients along their journey in life to make informed and supported life decisions.

References:
Butterworth, C. E., Jr. (1974). The Skeleton in the Hospital Closet. Nutrition Today, 9(2), 4-8.