Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 1 Understanding Your Health and Wellness 25 short-term goals are SMART goals with realistic deadlines. Identify any blocks that may prevent you from reaching your goal. Include in your plan what actions you can take to prevent these blocks from hurting your progress. An action plan also includes how you plan to track your goal progress. You may want to use a goal planner or journal to monitor your progress. Free goal tracker apps are another way you can keep track of your goal progress. Once you have completed your action plan, the next step is to follow it. As you track your progress, set time aside every month to evaluate whether your plan is working. You may need to adjust your plan along the way. Sometimes, you may not achieve your goals. If this occurs, do not get discouraged. Consider the situation as a learning experience. Think about where things went wrong and what you could do differently. Then you can use this information as you set new goals. Mastering goal-setting skills will help you continually grow and improve yourself, your health, and your overall well-being. Using Refusal Skills Refusal skills are a set of skills designed to help someone avoid participating in unhealthy behaviors. These skills can help you respond to peer influences and behaviors without compromising your own goals, values, and health. For example, you might be pressured to use drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. You could be pressured to engage in an activity that is illegal, inappropriate, or unhealthy. Your peers might pressure you into these activities, or you might see these behaviors modeled in television shows and movies you watch. You may think that this is what all young people are doing. These influences can make saying no difficult. Using refusal skills helps you take responsibility for your health behaviors. By using refusal skills, you ensure that no one is responsible for your health but you. Practicing strong refusal skills will also help you avoid or reduce health risks. Behaviors such as smoking or drinking increase your risk of certain health issues. Refusing to engage in these behaviors helps you avoid the health risks associated with them. Refusal skills help you make independent, informed decisions despite messages you may receive from peers, society, and the media. The tips in Figure 1.12, and information throughout this text, will help you learn and apply refusal skills to resist pressure. Resolving Conflicts As people interact with one another, conflicts (disagreements) are bound to arise. Conflicts can occur when people have different opinions or priorities. You may even have conflicts with your family or friends. Conflicts are a normal part of life. Some conflicts can be healthy, letting you see another Tips for Resisting Pressure · Watch your body language—stand up straight and make eye contact. · Say how you feel—use a firm voice to say no. · Be honest and do not make excuses—your friends should accept your response when you say, “No, I don’t want to.” Remember, you have the right not to give a reason. · Suggest something else to do—if your friends do not want to do another activity, find another friend who does. · Stick up for yourself—be prepared to walk away to get out of the situation. Igor Levin/Shutterstock.com Figure 1.12 Pressure from others can be difficult to resist, but you have a right to say “no” and walk away from the situation.