Re: A Promise to Myself
In Response To: Re: A Promise to Myself ()

I will second what JoEllen said. Before the program, I had a negative voice in my head that talked to me all day long, telling me I was stupid, ugly, unlovable etc. I remember also that I would try to think positively, and I could only do it for a short time before going back to being negative. Then I would beat myself up for failing. A little while after step 6, I suddenly noticed one day that the voice was gone. It has never come back. That isn't to say that I haven't had beta endorphin blips from time to time where I had some negative thoughts, but that awful voice in my head has never returned. I also don't look at myself in the mirror and feel self-hatred anymore.
Allison

: Hi Maria!

: Don't you hate that negative voice?

: I just had a long talk with my 17 yo
: son who told me all about his
: negative voice. I felt so bad to
: hear he is struggling with it
: also. I imparted my wisdom of how
: I have dealt with it over the
: years but the truth is, I have
: that daily voice that I have to
: quiet down.

: I read somewhere that this inner
: critic comes from early childhood
: experience but I don't really
: agree. I think it comes from a
: pre-historic time when our brains
: needed it to survive. Then I found
: this in the Huffington Post
: "humans were designed to be
: keenly aware of negative
: circumstances and consequences as
: it helped our ancestors
: survive." Bingo! Yes, I agree
: with this!

: That doesn't make it easier to quiet
: but it helps to understand that no
: one did this to us. It is how we
: are hardwired. When my mind goes
: negative, I hold up my hands to my
: face and say stop, or picture a
: stop sign in front of me, or tell
: myself that I don't want to listen
: to myself right now and will deal
: with it later. All work to some
: extent. Maybe I should name that
: voice. Establish a relationship
: with it. Tell it that I am not
: disgustingly overweight and will
: never be attractive. What does
: that voice know about me? LOL.
: Arguing with myself.... I might
: call my voice Vader or Darth
: Sidious... someone on the dark
: side. And use The Force to keep it
: quiet!

: Keep posting, I would love to hear
: what you have to say!

: Katie