Happiness

Hi guys,

I have a new therapist who is absolutely nothing like my old (and only other) therapist. We have been working a lot of self compassion, which is something I did not really realized I lacked. I have always liked myself a lot. I did not realize there was such a difference between liking and loving yourself. I seem to be pretty hard on myself, a lot of times for silly things (and non silly things). I seem to be emotionally sensitive and tend to cover it up with witty sarcasm. I have a hard time accepting a compliment. I seem to lean to negative thoughts. I am waaay to judgy for my liking and I jump to conclusions too much. I have a hard time making decisions, and when I do, I think about my choice for longer than I should. I have a hard time having faith that everything will be alright, whether I worry about it or not. I am a bit of a control freak (this is why I'm terrified to fly, for some reason I think I can fly the plane better that the pilot? Really?).

I have spent the last two months finding all this stuff out about me and learning that it had sooooo much to do with my anxiety. I have spent a lot of the last few years on auto pilot, because let's face it, it's much easier to make it by like that instead of really looking inside and sort through feelings and loose ends. I think my panic was a big wake up call for me. I need to change something, most likely my train of thought. I have found that happiness is not a surfacy feeling (fleeting moments or hours), it is in fact something so very deep. It is a lifestyle, a frame of mind. But until this was pointed out to me, I never realized I was actually preventing my own happiness.

Now making these changes doesn'r mean I am always going to do the right thing or that I'm never going to be unhappy or anxious. It's all about how I handle the situation (being a control freak, this really excites me). I am tired of contantly thinking in the future and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

So I guess I am just writing this to stress how important therepy is to recovery. I know most of us are involved with therapy, but having the right therapist and and the right frame of mind makes all the difference. I just read an article titled "22 Habits of Unhappy People". I am sad to say I am guilty of most things that were listed (not just once in a while behaviors, habitual behaviors). But now that I am aware, I know I can change it. I know my recovery will take much longer than I anticipated, but Im hoping doing all this work will prevent me ever having another (almost) breakdown again. I am learning to have faith that it will.

Thanks for listening guys:)

http://m.infobarrel.com/22_Habits_of_Unhappy_People


http://www.lifebuzz.com/start-doing/

Post Edited By Moderator (Scaredy Cat) : 12/2/2014 2:16:52 PM (GMT-7)

  Awesome!!!  Keep up the GREAT work!!

*edit was just to make your links active...

TY for sharing!!  This will be helpful for many people I am sure!

S.C.

Lisa,

I am the same about not expressing those downer thoughts out loud, only in my head! I do it so quickly too, like A knee jerk reaction. It's hard to stop those negative, judgy thoughts. It's gonna be a hard habit for me to break. Also, I have a new Nrene Brown book in my nightstand, but haven't had a chance to even crack it open yet.

Park,I hope you are feeling better after your panic today:)

Sc, thanks for making my links active:)

Brene is awesome! Check her talks out on TEDtalks as well. That's where I first saw her. She's incredible.

And super kudos to you for the progress and enlightenment. I hear ya. My current therapist has been a Godsend to me, and just like your experience, mine is absolutely *nothing* like any of my previous therapists (which might be why I'm having both a rough-go of things but feeling like I'm purging a lot of gunk that I've pent up).

So good for you, I'm proud of you and happy for you! Yay! :)





M.