Health
Be Your Best Self
What we want and need for a better self in the New Year By BEKKI JO PRITCHARD
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Photos provided by BAPTIST HEALTH/MILESTONE WELLNESS CENTER
he “self ” is a concept made of two components: personal identity and social identity, meaning how we see ourselves and how we interact with others. Face-to-face interaction is extremely important in developing the self. Alison Cardoza, Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer with Baptist Health/Milestone Wellness Center, says that face-to-face interaction is instrumental in developing our best self. The energy that is emitted through face-to-face interaction is electric. Endorphins are released and you are held accountable. The whirlwind we know as 2020 has tested, pushed and forever changed how we develop our sense of self, which in turn affects how we interact with others. During a tumultuous year filled with COVID-19, shut-downs, restrictions, sacrifice, change, non-existence and loss, our normal lives which included family gatherings, dinners out with friends, hot yoga four times a week, spring break in Destin with everyone from the neighborhood and Derby hats with mint juleps have come to a screeching halt. Self-development has been short-circuited! Or has it? Dr. Jan Anderson, a local psychologist who specializes in working with executives, professionals and their families said, ”There’s
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THE VOICE OF LOUISVILLE
| VO I C E -T R I B U N E . C O M
so much uncertainty, so we’re more anxious.” She goes on to point out that with isolation comes disconnection. However, at the same time, Dr. Jan said that overexposure to loved ones can push a person over the edge. Isolation, for most, has not really been an issue, but overexposure may have been. With this newfound awareness of both isolation and overexposure vulnerabilities, Dr. Jan is positive that it is motivating us to find more ways to handle it. In living through many ups and downs myself in 2020, I look to 2021 with great hope and optimism. I have always been one who welcomes change because it offers the opportunity for growth. We either adapt and flourish with change or whither and go to the wayside. For 2021, I am curious to know what people need or want to be their best selves. As a fitness professional of 30 years and a college professor of Sociology for 20 years, the development of the self has been an intriguing aspect of the socialization process. I went to social media to find out what people want or need to be their best selves in 2021 and, I have to admit, I was happy to learn that I was not alone. Cat Crawford, Owner of 502 Power Yoga, said, “Self-care takes practice, practice, practice! Start small with one thing, like
JANUARY 2021