Ruminating on reasons you can’t recover because your symptoms are different or you have very unique circumstances that prevent you from moving forward… is one of the most common symptoms. You’ll always be able to think of reasons why you can’t cut out compulsions, why you need to keep doing unhealthy things right now, why some other time in the future is going to be a much better time for recovery–our brains are so imaginative!
Tag: compulsions
When we’re struggling with mental illness, it’s often the compulsions that get all of the focus, both when we’re trying to figure out what’s going on and when we’re getting treatment. Many disorders are defined only by the superficial characteristics of the compulsions they’re engaging in when they show up to get a diagnosis. But the coping, checking, and controlling compulsions we engage in are a tiny part of a much bigger system. If you don’t learn address the beliefs …
You’re an expert in where you are now. But if you want to move to a place you’ve never been, it helps to speak with people who understand that new place. They understand the culture and the language of living in that place and the supports necessary to stay in that place. You need to participate in deciding how to get to that place because we understand where you are right now. In planning a journey, you need to know …
It’s not possible to be awesome at focusing unless you practice focusing and push your limits, just like it’s not possible to be awesome at running unless you practice running and push your limits. Here are five ways to practice focusing that have really helped me get my mind to stay in one place at a time: 1. Meditate. Start with short periods and then gradually extend the time you spend meditating. Setting aside three minutes every day for meditation …
Relapses happen. Here are some tips for getting things back on track, regardless of the specific compulsions you’re dealing with: 1. Don’t turn this into an excuse to dig the hole deeper. You know what’s at the bottom of a hole? More hole. Often when we relapse, we use that as an excuse to go even deeper into our compulsions. We tell ourselves things like, “Oh, you’ve already done it, so you may as well keep going. Tomorrow you’ll quit …