Do you have the mind-set that you struggle with your weight, that you’re too fat, that you need to go on a diet, or that you have no self-control? Then you are not alone. I had dinner with a friend last night and she was complaining to me that she needs to lose weight. She described “scooping” out a bagel and filling it with tuna fish salad so that she could restrict her carbohydrates but still have some semblance of a bagel. She enjoys bagels and did not allow herself to simply enjoy her bagel sandwich. By the way, after dinner, we ordered a delicious dessert to share, in which she felt the need to finish it, although we had both stopped eating it. She acknowledged to me that she was really done with eating but felt an incredible impulse to finish the dessert.

It is hard to stay objective on such an emotional topic such as gun violence in schools, but if we have learned anything since the Columbine shooting almost 20 years ago it is that changes are slow and we don't have time to waste. Our children are asking for help and we have idly sat by depending on our elected officials to make common sense changes for the safety and well being of our children. They are learning that there will always be obstacles in this country and change will come, but it may take a generation or two. In the meantime, here are ways they can ensure their own safety until then:

If you've been following trends in mental health over the past few years, it's been hard to ignore the numbers. Increased rates of depression, anxiety, toxic stress and suicide have flooded news cycles and with good reason. The numbers don't lie. One subgroup that is experiencing an increased number of mental health disorders is our teenagers. It's hard to look at the numbers and not point to things like social media, technology, greater demands on high school classes, lack of social interaction and poor self-care as the root causes for these numbers; however, until we change some of these practices (which may take a generation or two), let's help our teens right now. Here are a few things to start with:

If you look around it's hard to miss that the many adults aren't winning at the whole "adulting" thing. To me, positive parenting practices are under this umbrella along with working, paying bills and taking care of your physical and emotional health. In fact, parenting is the most important job we have. Whether you watch the news or listen to how parents talk to their children when you are out in public, you're likely to hear words and voice tones that are more similar to a child than adult. This can have lasting negative side effects for years to come. When did using "if you're not going to be mature and act like an adult, then I'm not going to either" become a useful method to change behavior. Here are several tips to remember when disciplining children:

The pre-surgical evaluation for anyone considering weight-lose surgery is a critical step in the process toward permanent weight loss. It is through this comprehensive Psychosocial Evaluation where it can be determined who “that right person is for weight-loss surgery”. And, believe it or not, many people are “that right person” for whom Bariatric Surgery is the best possible option for permanent weight-loss.

If you are considering weight-loss surgery, regardless of your surgical team, whether or not you are using insurance, or whether or not you are “required” to undergo a “psychiatric” evaluation, please consider doing yourself the best self-care favor and go through the pre-surgical, psychosocial evaluation process. For the most part, it’s painless!

Practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent. Coaches demand constant repetition until their players execute without error. The same goes for teachers, tutors, directors, musicians, and any other professional whose role is to shape their students’ habits. The hardest part of change happens in the beginning. Brains like to keep the status quo. Once those neural connections are made, it takes a bit of effort to break them or create new ones. However, neuroplasticity research has taught us that brains can improve and change with effort, consistency and motivation.

You'll hear lots of different opinions about how many days it takes to change a habit or make a new habit stick. Regardless of how long it will take, we can all agree that it takes work. This new generation gets a bad rap about how they are "entitled" or don't have to work as hard as we did when we were their age. It's hard to think of how we would handle the the amount of overstimulation and overschedulding if we were teens today. To quote a favorite radio personality and sports writer, "Back in my day"....we'd go to school, hang out with friends, have a part time job watch t.v. and movies, sneak out and still have time to talk to our parents once in a while.

Don't watch the news! If you do, it can be disheartening, disappointing and toxic. Our world has a history of ebbing and flowing between peace and chaos which has only been exacerbated by the invention of nuclear weapons, advanced technology and "fake news". It's much less stressful to ignore the atrocities of daily life and focus on cute pet or baby videos. However, one easy way to feel more empowered and purposeful is to take action. This can be true for any age group. Below are some quick ways you can make a difference today:

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Research indicates that our society is becoming progressively more overweight, in part due to the availability of more calorie dense foods and a decreased need to physically exert ourselves. What once required us to take action in order to accomplish tasks are now easily done in the comfort of our chair. Isn’t it ironic that as you read this page, you  are evidencing this phenomenon?