The Self-Directed Daily Inventory

It is tempting to think that a "good" or "bad" day results from a single event. Although a particularly wonderful event can buoy one’s spirits or an equally upsetting experience result in sadness or emotional upset, most days tend to be typical, the result of a series of events or experiences…some “good” and some “not so good.”

Individual events that become the exclusive focus of one’s attention can impact we evaluate a given day. When assessing a given day as “good” or “bad,” considering an isolated event or series of events restricted to a narrow focus of experience during that day can result in frustration if not depression. This is especially likely if several such “bad days” occur in a row. Such experiences foster what professional counselors and therapists refer to as “negative self-talk” or what those familiar with A.A. call, stinkin’ thinkin’.

The purpose of the exercise outlined here is to increase the likelihood of considering the “big picture” when evaluating a typical day. The Self-Directed Daily Inventory (SDI) is a daily activity designed to help one slow down their thinking, step back to consider multiple variables that affect mood, and look at the “big picture.” In doing so, it is possible to realize that things are not always the way they appear to be when considering just a “snapshot” of events in one’s day to evaluate it.

When employing the SDI, identifying specific categories of experience that YOU view as important in evaluating your day and then considering them independently to assess how “good” or “bad” your day was in each of those categories provides a more objective and therefore accurate assessment of one’s true experience. Using a set of evaluating criteria you establish for each of these categories facilitates this “stepping back” to consider the bigger picture. For example, identifying a minimum of five and a maximum of seven key assessment categories you deem important areas in your life and then evaluating your day in each category provides a more realistic overview of that day. Averaging the individual scores assessed for each of these 5 to 7 critical areas then yields a more accurate “score” regarding the day.

Specifically, use a simple “1 to 5” scale to evaluate each category. Describe the criteria that denote the lower and upper ends of this scale for each category with conditions or experiences you believe describe “bad” or “good” for that category. Next, total the scores for each category, find the average score (the total of all daily scores divided by the number of scores), and post this average on a graph to view progress or “change” on a daily basis.

This simple technique “forces” consideration of the “big picture” when determining progress or improvement in regaining personal control in one’s life.

To create your own step-by-step set of instructions, using 7 sample categories. You will need to choose your own important life categories and define the scale used for evaluation for this exercise to be effective. You can find a sample set of worksheets and instructions at https://tinyurl.com/S-DDaily-inventory

3rd Person Self-Talk and Self-Directed Behavior Change; How to Talk Sense to Yourself

Has a friend or family member ever approached you seeking advice on how best to deal with a personal issue or approach an important personal decision? If you are like most humans, the answer is yes. And when approached, were you able to proffer an opinion or provide the requested advice? Again, the answer is likely yes. This is because most of us are relatively good in such situations because we view ourselves as “detached” from the situation. Because of this detachment, we are more objective and offer reasoned advice.

 

Ethan Kross, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, has published research that finds that when individuals conduct their self-talk in the 3^rd person, that is referring to themselves by 1^st name or as he/she, him/her we can achieve that same degree of psychological detachment that enables us to provide more logical and rational advice to ourselves. Consider this example:

 

Instead of thinking, I can lose the weight needed to look good on the beach this summer, I say to myself, Robert, you can lose the weight needed to look good on the beach this summer.

 

Thinking in the 1^st person is a habit that is difficult to break. Why? Because we have likely been doing it for decades! However, when finding myself thinking in the 1^st person, I can “translate” those thoughts into the 3^rd person easily by simply inserting a 3^rd person pronoun or my first name, a nickname I go by, or my last name if that is how others generally refer to me – think “Gibbs” on NCIS – and create that psychological detachment that brings added clarity, reason, and logic to my thinking.

 

This can be a very helpful aid to accomplishing self-directed behavior change. Engaging in 3^rd-person self-talk about losing weight, quitting smoking, drinking less, or exercising more can help prevent self-doubt from derailing a change plan.

 

Before dismissing this idea by saying you do not want to sound like Dobby the House Elf in Harry Potter, remember we are talking about "self-talk" here...that is $10 psychobabble for "private personal thoughts," the ones no one hears except you :)

 

Robert – remember that willpower is a skill that you develop with practice rather than, I don’t have the willpower necessary to succeed; I’ll never be able to change.

Change is an inside job, Robert; one that you can accomplish because it is more about attitude than effort rather than, Change is just too hard for me; I will never be able to do this.

 

What do you think?

 

To read more about 3^rd-person self-talk as an aid in stress management, ending negative self-talk, or quietening anxiety, CLICK HERE.

 

Dr. Robert

Keeping Up with The Field

My grandfather used to say, “Wisdom is the gift received when recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge.” The more aware I became of the limits of my knowledge related to addiction and AOD issues in general, the more I sought out direct and indirect sources of that information. When first entering the field of addiction treatment in the early 70s I invested time in several activities that continue to pay dividends to this day. This entry is intended to share a few of this "FYI."

(1)Attend open 12-step meetings. It is at such meetings that one can learn about addiction and recovery (and the “early years,” perhaps before addiction, which can be useful when doing counseling with collegians).

(2)Training opportunities where funding may very well support doing so, but also look into “free” workshops and seminars that were available in the community. In the 21st century, this is somewhat easier in that there are online seminars and discussion groups as well as workshops run by different treatment programs and such. NOTE: Addiction treatment programs or hospitals in your area sponsor free monthly free workshops. NOTE: Not only are such workshops useful for what can be learned, but also (and perhaps more importantly) for who you can meet professionally.

(3) Read as much as you can on the topic(s) of your choice. Although no one can ever read “everything” that is available to be read, here are some tricks you can try to increase the amount of information you can expose yourself to. For example, you can do a key word search for journal articles that have several keywords that related to a topic of interest. For example, you can search “collegiate drinking,” “prevention” and “strategies.” You can do this at http://scholar.google.com (or just plain google.com) or one of the online databases, for example, project CORK at Dartmouth (http://www.projectcork.org/) or NIAAA’s ETOH database (see http://etoh.niaaa.nih.gov/). If you search at a database and get “X” hits, read the abstracts for the more interesting ones or just the first 5 or 10 or however many. These abstracts give you a sense of what is happening as well as what is being published.

For those abstracts you find interesting (or for anything else you may find online that is interesting and in print form) you can download the .doc or .pdf (or “.whatever” text file) and then convert it to a mp3 audio file at http://zamzar.com and then listen to it on you mp3 player when commuting or exercising, etc. NOTE: It takes a few minutes to get used to listening to the computerized “text-to-speech” syntax, but once you catch on, it is an easy way to “read" more stuff related to a topic of interest.

(4) As they say in AA, look around for someone who has what you want and then get to know that person. In AA it is called “getting a sponsor”; in professional development it is called finding a mentor(s). Ask that person if you can meet and chat. Invite the person to coffee. Ask if you can exchange emails. In short, do what you can to learn from that individual(s). You may need to invest some time in traveling to that person’s office or suggested location, but once a month or however often you do this can be a small investment for what you get in return…and you are not restricted to one mentor at a time 

(5) Join several listserv discussion groups and/or sign up for daily or weekly email reports on “what’s what” in your chose field. For example, you can get daily news from http://www.JoinTogether.org or “drug and alcohol findings” at http://findings.org.uk/ In short, there are likely “countless” places where you can have folks send you snippets of information on a regular basis and you read what you have time/interest to read. Add to this the countless blogs and pod
casts that are available and you have more than enough to keep you busy with your “knowledge quest” for years to come

If you have additional suggestions,please leave a comment.

Robert