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Found this in my inbox today:


HOW TO BREAK A BAD HABIT

Habits are automatic behaviors that can be changed with patience and persistence.

Instructions

STEP 1: Decide how serious you are about breaking the habit. In addition to a strong commitment, you’ll need time and energy to pay attention to your behavior so that you can change it.

STEP 2: Keep track of when you do the behavior. Keep a notepad or journal handy.

STEP 3: Write down when it happens (what is the situation) and what you were thinking and feeling. Writing increases your awareness of when and why you have this habit.

STEP 4: Read and think about what you write down. What does this habit do for you? Is it a way to deal with feelings of boredom, anxiety stress, anger?

STEP 5: Think of what you could do instead of the habit that would be a more positive way to deal with the feelings or situation. Write down some simple alternative behaviors that you could do instead. Pick one you want to practice.

STEP 6: Try to catch yourself when you find yourself doing the habit and stop yourself as soon as you can. Start the alternative behavior you decided you wanted to do instead.

STEP 7: Aim to do this once a week and increase the number of times per week over time. The more you practice a new behavior, the more it becomes the new habit.

STEP 8: Get support from others by letting them know you are working on the habit and telling them what they can do to help.

Tips & Warnings
Be patient with yourself. Habits are so automatic and unconscious we don’t realize we are doing it until we are already doing it! Be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up is another bad habit to be broken.

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What I want to know is…can I apply this to YOU? Not that I think of you as a bad habit, just that I have a bad habit of thinking of you. I want to know how to stop. Thinking. Where you’re concerned. Teach me. Tell me how YOU did it. Turned around. Walked away. Went on living. Ignoring the pain left in your wake. No, not blaming…just stating fact…from my perspective…which may not jive with yours…I can & do respect that. No, I don’t think it was easy for you. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I did “imagine” all of this. And that’s cool. But tell me this…if that’s the case - that I “imagined” it, how do I imagine myself OUT of it?

*SIGH* There is a major poem sitting right here in midst of this post, in the midst of this pain. A big, gut-wrenching poem with jagged edges that keep puncturing my heart, trying to pierce my spirit.

THAT.SHIT.HURTS.

*SIGH*

I’m out.

I need a hug….line ‘em up…and keep ‘em coming!

**Yeah, I’m back with another post. Yes, posting twice on the same day. Whateva! What else I got to do? Ya’ll know I ain’t go no job!! Bwwwwahhhhhaaaaa!! **