Homework

I am fairly open about the fact that I go to a counselor on a regular basis.  As someone who struggles with depression one of the things that's helped me, even more than my medication, has been talk therapy.  

One of my favorite things to have from a therapist is homework.  Now I know that most people associate homework with those terrible school assignments you had to do or the mountains of reading that made you hate your life through college.  But homework during therapy in very important because it forces you to change your habits not just during your sessions but also in your everyday life.  

So, I thought I would share with you a few of the homework assignments that I have been given by my counselor to work on until I talk to her again in March.  

1. Hold myself accountable-I keep saying I'm going to start going to the gym...and I haven't yet...so this bit of homework is working on what motivates me to do what I say I will do.
2. Stick up for myself-Lately I've been having difficulties speaking my mind and expressing to people what is important to me and what I need to function.  This is my assignment to put more of an effort towards standing my ground when necessary but also knowing when it is appropriate to let something go.  
3. Compartmentalize-I already know how to do this...but sometimes I just refuse to do so.  You know when you WANT to be mad at someone and you let yourself and then you can't get anything done for the rest of the day?  Well that is when you need to make yourself compartmentalize and say "you know what, I'm angry with her but I have stuff to do so I'm going to stop thinking about how angry I am and get something done" this allows you to still be angry but to deal with your anger in a better way by not letting it consume you.  
4. Leave work on time.  During the month of January I had a goal to leave work on-time one day every month...and I did it.  If I had gone everyday that week without leaving on-time I would force myself to log off of my computer and go home no matter what I was working on because I need "me" time.  Well, since February started....I completely stopped doing that...so I want to start that tradition again of leaving on-time at least one day per week so as to give myself some boundaries in my work/personal life.  

So that's my homework for the next few weeks...are any of these things ideas that you should bring into your life?  If you were to sit down with someone who gave you "homework" or a "prescription of the week" (my Hall Director in college used to give me those) what would they give you?  

Email me or comment below with ideas of things that you would be given to do...and then try them out!