My Onion

[NinjaFrodo]

Nicely said. You were a loner but you found comfort with that. Thats good that you can do that. Myself I was popular up until grade 7 and then i felt guilt and started to have a hard time fitting in. I still had my group of friends at school but when i wasn't at school i was mostly a loner. There were some benefits to being by myself though but I am actually very extroverted deep down and I need to be around people.

Yes new trends and ideas first go through ridicule and then people start to admire the courage and then accept it. Just how things work.

I wasn't doing most of my self-improvement stuff for anybody else, i partially did but it was mostly for myself but yes it does feel good to get acknowledged for it and for anything we do.

Ya I was one of those safe people myself. Listening to the problems of others and some of these people told me they had never told anybody else this stuff which was cool but then I would start to obsess about their problems just like yourself and I'm still doing it to a degree and Neither of us need that extra stress when we are dealing with an overwhelmingly stressful condition.

I hear so much negativity from others...name calling, "why did he have to do something so stupid", the over reacting to small problems that come up like when people say something that the other person thinks they shouldn't have or making a big deal when some random person starts trying to insult them. The comments like "good luck" in a sarcastic tone...The generalizations like that one commercial about car insurance saying the road is full of bad drivers, being labeled a liar if someone told 1 lie, focusing on all the negative things in someone's performance instead of positive things. Yes Everybody should be doing the program but thats not realistic. I get frustrated at times because just like you said i'm trying to get my life back in balance and I am surrounded by many things that don't compliment this progress. I guess they are practice opportunities though. I can't wait until someone tries to use name calling on me or tries to manipulate me.


Mike

[NinjaFrodo]

As for the sleep, i'm plateauing on the 1-2am thing. So i'm creating a smaller goal and that is to calm myself down before bed and not worry about a specific time. I'll let you know how that works out for me.


Mike

[THH]

I'm glad your still trying some different things for your sleep. You will work it out!

I was thinking about my dog class, one lady ask the teacher when is a dog trained? The teacher said it depends on what you think a trained dog is? I thought WOW! And I took that kinda into my training that I am doing.
She said some people just want the dog to come when called. And if that is the goal, when a dog comes 90% of the time and is realiable to do it in all kinds of situtations, with distractions, he is trained. Hummmm...
Just thoughts...
I hope you have a nice weekend, and many sucessfull practice sessions. Have fun!!!

[NinjaFrodo]

Yes I will get it. I think i put too much expectations on the affirmations and not making much progress with my sleep problem and it has created a little doubt about the affirmations which is not really good. I'm still making amazing progress with the other stuff just not my habits. Action is still very important and goals and such. I'm just going to use this setback to learn from and make adjustments

Your teacher is very smart. One thing alot of people do not realize is that our definitions of everything is diffrent. What one person calls clean another calls messy (which was an assertive talk i had with my landlord a week or 2 ago), Good and Bad is a huge one as well (and I actually have an old post about that which i'm sure you will find really interesting), even the idea of progress and success is diffrent for everybody. I think the ones that are the most diffrent are success, fairness and good enough.

You could actually use this information you got from the situation you brought up to better yourself with assertivenss. The lesson I mean is that our definitions are diffrent so instead of just assuming someone is thinking a certain way or putting meaning to a certain thing, ask questions pertaining to it. IE my friend's landlady told him that the other tenants are complaining that he isn't cleaning up after himself when in fact he is actually one of those people who is almost obsessed with having things clean. He didn't ask any questions and she did not specify. There was not enough information to go off of, it was very unclear and so it is only reasonable that he follows his idea of clean. We are not mind readers so we do not know someone else's idea of clean or good or adequate or anything.


Maybe its about time i break out my old posts and put links to them.

Here is the good and bad post http://bbs.stresscenter.com/ev...731034336#7731034336



Mike

[NinjaFrodo]

I feel silly. Here i am expecting to get to bed at like 11pm and yet I wake up at 9am. So if things went the way i expected then i would be getting 10 hours sleep. My body doesn't want 10 hours sleep and I'm actually going to sleep around the time I should be which is 1-2am. So I'm going to set an alarm for 7am and not even worry what time I'm going to sleep. I'll go when i feel tired.



Mike

[THH]

Expectations are sooo tricky!

I will check out your good/bad post.

I just finnished the program! I posted something at the end for any one reading those. I think I take comfort in knowing I have tons of tools to help me in life. And I may have panick or anxiety, but it will not affect me the same way again!

The tools are there to use daily, as we know tools on a shelf don't have much worth. I will need to use them, it is a life style. To keep from falling in old thinking patterns. It will be a challange. It is a good program, I feel I got my moneys worth. Its so good to invest in your self!!!

[NinjaFrodo]

Congratulations for completing the program. You have definately made alot of progress to be able to accept your anxiety and panic and to say it won't affect you the same way. That is a huge accomplishment because one person has said that panic attacks for someone with the condition is like a non-sufferer lying on railroad tracks and not getting up when they hear the train coming by. I believe it is the scariest thing out there and look how you are responding to it.

Yes expectations can be very tricky. Sometimes you don't even realize that you have unrealistic expectations even with the tools and skills. It takes time but we have that time, there is no emergency.

You can definately become rusty if you don't use the skills and your right this is a life style change. It is not a simple pill you can take, feel better and then stop taking it. It doesn't work that way..like you say its an investment in yourself.

So you going to take a few weeks break and go through it a 2nd time like they suggest? I may go back through it again.

Let me know what you think about my good/bad post.


Mike

[THH]

Yes, letting go of anxiety/ panick can be a challange. I do believe I can. I know that I am not in control of the universe and there is a higher power that is. We just have to try, release our faith. Something good always comes from that.

I by all means do not want to make this sound simple, because it takes work, and constant awareness while working through the bad habits that we really didn't know we lived with. As you have said in many of your post, you can change that! And you can!!! I can scare myself as good as the next guy/ girl, but I choose not to do that. My big awareness came with, I am choosing to do that (in a way) by the thoughts & the way I responded to things. There is a better way for sure.

Yes, I am going to not listen to the tapes and such a couple weeks, and maybe review a couple if needed. I will see how I am doing, and I may start them over for the second time for a refresher coarse.

OK. I read it and I will post my thoughts later. I have a phone ringing morning! LOL...

[NinjaFrodo]

Well put. You realize how you are in control, you realize that you have a choice and that its just the thoughts.

Yes it can be really difficult but after awhile it gets easier and easier as it becomes a habit.

I definately suggest doing the program a 2nd time. You'll start to make more connections between the later lessons and the earlier ones. By the way there is a particular thread (the best thread of the forums) that I'd suggest you read. Its a little old but its pretty good. It's in the humor section

http://bbs.stresscenter.com/ev...72/m/2401042702/p/17



enjoy!

Mike

[NinjaFrodo]

oh and you'll definately want to check out the script page within the next couple of days! I'm adding a Love Script!

As for the affirmations I'm listening to them 2-3 times a day and I find it to be mroe effective then reading them and i don't even pay too much to the affirmations. I focus on the music that i used in the background when i was recording the affirmations. I'm hoping maybe to make some videos and put them on youtube for the affirmations.



Mike