[Palestrina]

Originally Posted by Locke

Hello beautiful people

I have a question about a psychological problem that I'm facing right now. Basically I've given up all of my harmful behaviors that ultimately hurt me in the long run. I feel overwhelmed right now. I'm tired, stressed, and I just can't cope with my life as it is at this moment. I feel trapped. All of my coping behaviors, the stuff in my tool box that I've used in the past are bad- binge eating, purging, drinking, drugging, cutting, self-abuse, pulling my hair out, etc. I'm trying not to use those as ways to cope anymore, but now I just feel trapped. I have uncomfortable feelings and I just don't know what to do. I want to avoid pain, frustration, anger, etc. but I don't know what to do. Has anybody else felt this way? Do you have a healthy way of coping?

I'm stuck on this too. For 20yrs I have programmed myself to relegate any uncomfortable feeling over to hunger. Eating seems to be the only coping mechanism I have. And it works so well, I don't even know where to begin to change it. It works so well in fact that I always identify it as hunger and nothing else, I'm willing to bet money that I'm just hungry. It's only after I eat that I realize that I had used food to aleviate my anxiety that I felt over xyz issue. And even now that I know that I STILL identify my anxiety as hunger. I don't know what it will take to change that.

Over the past few months I've begun to incorporate chi gong into my daily routine. I find myself resorting to it in times of distress and I feel like it has an impact. I think I will have a look into tennis4ever's suggestion of dr. Chawla, it sounds interesting at the least.

[jerah]

you have to find something you can be passionate about, something you can put all your effort and energy in, something that gives you satisfaction and catalyzes your endorphin. think of something in your life, you can focus on and then go for it without any excuses

[Locke]

Thank you all for your wonderful advice. I'm feeling okay now. I just get into funks that I have a problem sorting out. I will look into your recommendations for books and Eastern techniques. This community is so awesome.

P.S.- I have been in therapy for most of the past 10 years of my life. It has never really helped. They just tend to push drugs at me and give me scary diagnoses. I want to try some other stuff for a while.