[SnowboundChick]

It comes down to that for me, when I'm on plan I can stop myself from listening to the voice that says it's okay, one won't hurt or what does it really matter. It takes me awhile to get back to that place where I can do it after a long hiatus I've found it after reading a book. A fiction book actually by Marian Keyes, she's an Irish writer and she tackles some tough issues in her books with great humour and insight (she's been through a lot in real life). I've read several of her books now and they deal with woman's issue, infidelity, substance abuse, abusive relationships and recently the two I've read that have really helps me were about depression and addiction. I just finished reading Rachel's Holiday which was about addiction and the character goes through the whole process of denial, rock bottom, going into rehab and still in denial but going for her family to the process and realizations of what she has done and it just got to me. I have an addiction to food and I need to get control of it! So I've been batting down that voice again. Helps comes in many forms!

[Michelle98272]

Years ago, I fell into a depression that was so deep and profound that it scared me. I had managed my symptoms for years with Prozac but weaned myself off of it after feeling "normal" for many many months. Depression usually sneaks up on me, bit by bit and I can get a handle on it before it become all encompassing. This time, I literally woke up one morning in dark dark place that I hadn't seen in years. Hopeless, dark and scary. I immediately went back on Prozac but knew it would be at least 10 days before I started to feel any relief and even with that the Prozac would magnify my anxiety symptoms before the antidepressant aspect kicked in.

I decided to fight back against the weird stuff in my head and began using self talk. When I felt particularly hopeless, I'd remind myself that it was my brain chemicals that were skewing reality not that my life had turned to garbage overnight. Of course, I didn't talk out-loud unless I was alone . I had been there before and knew I could survive it again if I could not let it get too bad. I tracked my symptoms and noticed the hardest times of the day were early morning and mid afternoon. Hospitalization was not an option as I was a single mom that didn't have insurance nor the ability to take weeks off from work. I wrestled with my own brain for days until the medicine started to work again, reminding myself over and over and over that it was "me" that was in charge, the smart, funny, rational me, not the crazy dark scary me.

I never thought of using that inner self talk to help me through tough times with weight loss. But if I can use it to struggle through a dark time mentally, I can use it to struggle through times that I feel like I might slip.

[SnowboundChick]

That is great insight about self talk. I never thought about it for anything other than to quit smoking or stop eating the junk. I'll have to remember that. I guess self talk can be used for just about anything. I'm using it today to make myself go the the gym even though I haven't been since last week but it's my 3rd week in a row of going and I want it to be a better habit than what it is.

[cfmama]

You can and you will do this... you have to! You know you have it in you... you really do. You just need to find it.

*hugs*

[BeachBreeze2010]

It's all mental. Learning to recognize a negative thought is step 1. A big step, also. So often we have these "facts" that we have accepted. I can't do that, I don't have time for this, my feet will hurt, the girls can't be without me for that long, etc. Recognize it and challenge it. Pretend your husband said it (that works for me!). No, Anne, you can't work out today because the girls need that time with you. WTH? No, I can do whatever I want, thank you! The girls will be fine. It's kind of a joke, but you get the idea. I am a natural born rebel, so as soon as someone else tells me no, this natural thing kicks in and says, "Watch me." But for some reason, I find myself telling me no and accepting it. So that visualization helps.

A lot of people feel silly doing self-talk, but I think it's probably one of the best things we can do. Our emotions bring thoughts bring actions. If we can tap in to those thoughts and reverse them, we can change the emotions and the actions. Our brains can only focus on so many things at once. We get to choose which things get our focus. "One won't hurt." That's a dangerous one. As soon as that thought comes in, challenge it or dismiss it. To challenge it - Yes, it will because I will know that I gave in to this voice. I am stronger than that. One can hurt because I know that I am susceptible to layering bad choices. To dismiss it - Is that all you've got? I know that one. It's not going to derail me! I wonder if my show has a new episode tonight...

I'm glad you found books that speak to you. Hang in there! You can do this!!