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You are NOT bored... You're UNINSPIRED


Recently I have been feeling a bit down due to just going though the motions of my daily life. Yes, even therapists get down sometimes too! I wake up go to work and help my clients. After a 9 hour day, I head into 5 pm traffic to go to the gym. Hit my usual workout and go home to eat, shower, go to bed. Just to do it all the next day. I am the kind of person who likes to set goals for myself so I don't get this stagnant feeling! I hate the feeling! Since I just crushed my goal of passing my states license exam. I am craving something new.  How to do I stay inspired while doing the same ole thing everyday?

Then I remembered Viktor Frankl's logotherapy! Frankl was a neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor. He is the famous author of Man's Search for Meaning. Frankl believed man searched for the meaning of life under all circumstances even suffering. Frankl thought that life meaning was created in three ways:

1. By experiencing something fully or feeling loved
2. By creating something, finishing tasks or achieving goals
3. Through unavoidable suffering in which you develop a new attitude

So I decided to incorporate some of the things back into my life that make me feel good. This is how I did it!

1. Put the phone down: Research shows that more screen leads to increased levels of depression. That is possibly due to Frankl's first point that you can't experience things fully because you are mentally unavailable and not in the moment. Therapists call this Mindfulness, a practice where you focus on the present moment. Being in the present moment allows you to be at peace and available to your loved ones. I tell my client's all the time, "if you are living in the past you are depressed, if you are living in the future you are anxious." The only moment we can account for is this moment right here, right now.
2. Practice Mindfulness: I made a conscious effort to check in with myself and appreciate the here and now. Looking at the trees, the sky, feeling the breeze.
3. Practice Meditation: another way to be mindful is through meditation. I downloaded a great app called Headspace, that is great for beginner meditators.
4. Practice Gratitude: I made an agreement with myself that everyday of January I would write 5 new things that I am grateful for without repeating. Even if they were small.
5. Remember What's Important: For me it is spending time with loved ones, getting in my daily work outs and volunteering are somethings that I find valuable and important to me and in my life as a member of society.

By doing these 5 things I realized I altered my mindset using Frankl's Three Ways to establish Life meaning. I was more present to my family, friends and my clients. I was creating peace in my life and finishing tasks, even if they were small, that I found important. Lastly, I created a new attitude of gratitude. Life is not always perfect but you have to work on self growth and doing what inspires you! So I encourage you to check in with yourself and see how you can create meaning in your life.

To the journey,
Fit Therapist

Check out more on my website at Fit Therapy Counseling

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