lot of work keeping up with thoughts

[draggingsticks]

I am almost finished with week 3. It was pretty challenging. At first i noticed i wasnt thinking much of anything, just feeling and actions, reactions etc. I had to dig a little bit to figure out what i was thinking. It wasnt there on the surface. I guess everything has become habit. I had to keep slowing my thinking down and figure it out. I didnt do as good as i should have this week. i only wrote a few neg thoughts down, but i did work on a few in my head, replacing with posititve thoughts etc. which was nice. some days i felt tired and didnt want to put the energy into what i was thinking, who knew it takes so much effort to keep up with what you are thinking. making some baby step progress this week which is cool, a few steps back at times, but less frequent and duration is not as long. Its challenging to selftalk with all these emotions, but its worth it. Im worth it. One thing i did notice is that when i slow my thinking down its easier. I also noticed when my thoughts are fast its easier to get anxious and more difficult to keep up with to replace them.

Thanks for listening
Keith
www.keithwjohnson.com

[draggingsticks]

one of my thoughts is to stay with this lesson a few more days since i didnt put all the effort i wanted to with it, but i am going to move on. I can still work on my thoughts etc.

[tbabystroup]

I don't think anyone on this site is here because we can easily do any of these things we are learning to do... keep plugging along and focus on the small accomplishments you do make as far as the learning process, and don't focus so much on what you weren't able to do!!!
I have found that a lot of the time when i feel the anxiety building i am already up and running around trying to accomplish things... and i have found that if i force myself to walk slowly (think having to hold the hand of a really slow kid) it helps me to slow my mind down just enough to really focus on my thought process and work on my self talk and breathing which seems to really HELP me avoid having full blown anxiety/panic attacks!!
Good Luck on your journey!!

[Layha Rae]

Good advice I completed the program in Aug. of '09. I had a wonderful 14 months without anxiety. Then my oldest daughter moved home because of health issues & I have been working on a growth spurt ever since. I have to admit I haven't been working as hard as I did the first time through. I believe God lead me to this program & I will conquer the anxiety once again.
So for newbies out there I think it is good to read the flash cards on a regular basis; like a tune-up.

LIFE IS GOOD
Lyla

[Michele16]

I have found that I have so many negative thoughts going on in my head. This makes me realize why I tend to be depressed when for years I've been filling myself with negative thoughts about myself and other people. Turning the thoughts around really does help but it is a lot of effort as you said to writhe them all down. I just do a few each day. It's not always possible in certain situations to get out a pad and write.

Just keep doing the best you can. You are doing a good job!

Michele

[mramirez10]

I just started session 3 and it is good to know that I'm not alone in this negative thought thinking. I too have found it difficult to track all my thoughts. It is real hard at first. I find I can't always write them down either. Most times I feel the anxiety before I realize I was even having a negative thought. Then I have to look back and try to remember what I was thinking. Sometimes I'm able to remember, and sometimes I'm not.

[draggingsticks]

Ye i understand the feelings first before the thought, i guess it shows us how out of tune we are with these thinking habits. thanks for the encouragement.

[missobsessive]

It is hard to keep up with it. I'll be really good at keeping it up for a few weeks, then I start feeling better and slack off lol. Then fall back into the old negative patterns . But now I notice it, and just get myself back on track by starting it back up again.

I also don't even try to write down every single thought. I aim for about 4-5 a day. Even with just that I noticed a difference in how I felt and started feeling better.

And when I'm at work or doing something where I can't write it down...if I just notice it, I try to stop and replace it just in my head right then.

It is hard though. You have to just do it!

[TemperAnxietyStress]

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. I too have struggled with writing all my thoughts down. I will try for 4-5 a day and see how it goes too. Thank you for helping me give myself permission not to be perfect in this and to struggle. I am finding a few successes each day and for that I'm eternally grateful. I have started, when I do something I would usually call myself stupid for, instead saying, "Oh, that was silly" or "Next time I need to pay more attention" or "Oh well, we all make mistakes sometimes" I'm also practicing on my daughter when she makes mistakes...and it's amazing how much lighter I feel and how much happier. The nice thing about the above phrases is that I'm not calling myself silly, but saying what I did was silly, so it's still not negative...and saying everyone makes mistakes sometimes gives me permission to 'fail' and get back up again. And the reminder to pay attention...well, that's just obvious, but the nice thing is I'm not beating myself up over not paying attention...I'm just reminding myself gently. This program is amazing!

[Layha Rae]

Dear Temper,
You sound like you are making a lot of progress. Being kind to ourselves is one of the biggest accomplishments. Saying out loud I love you & even looking in the mirror & saying it, helps it sink in.
We are our biggest critics.
Lyla