Individual Psychology and Lifestyle Coaching
Lifestyle is an essential part of culture. According to statistical research, the elements of a successful lifestyle are stable income, stable family life, and social contacts. The concept of lifestyle has various shades and forms. For example, in the American Family Therapy Association’s (AFA) definition, family life is the shared physical, mental, and emotional values that have been shaped since birth. These values are then passed down from parents to children to adults.
Other lifestyles refer to the types of activities people engage in. Some examples of lifestyles include: rural lifestyle, urban lifestyle, high-risk lifestyle, low-risk lifestyle, global lifestyle, international career, middle-aged lifestyle, senior lifestyle, international travelers’ lifestyle, active lifestyle, traditional lifestyle, animal-assisted therapy, vegetarian lifestyle, and health-risking lifestyle. These are just a few of the many lifestyles. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Associations, there was a strong link between social isolation and unhealthy outcomes for overweight adults.
In this study, researchers measured the impact of five popular lifestyle elements on obesity and found that social isolation significantly increased the odds of obesity. The elements were loneliness, isolation, social isolation, negative media messages about weight, and the presence of negative stereotypes about weight. The results were startling. Researchers found that those who had high levels of loneliness and isolated, low social network had higher odds of being obese.
Lifestyle has become an important focus in contemporary day individual psychology, especially in marketing. This emphasis has expanded into the realm of public health. In my own practice I notice that many times clients who have social anxiety disorders turn to me for help because they feel that the social media is playing a major role in fueling their depression. One such client was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and was coming to me for cognitive behavioral therapy.
We also use a social anxiety toolkit including: cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamics, self-help programs, and a healthy lifestyle strategy. One of the elements of the newly formed wellness center called the Florence Knoll was born out of our own work. The founder, Dr. Maria Montessori, sought to develop a collaborative environment that would foster open communication between fellow wellness professionals from different disciplines. She created a center that integrated many different perspectives with the sole goal of helping people who experience different challenges in their lives and in creating healthier, happier individuals. It was through the work of many contributors that this collaborative effort was born.
In my opinion, the Florence Knoll is the flagship wellness center in the united states. The founder, Dr. Maria Montessori, set out to make education and counseling more accessible to everyone. This project has grown into an international program that combines research and teaching in the most innovative and efficient way. I believe that the way that Dr. Hazel Anderson and Knoll have responded to their clients’ needs has been exemplary.