3/22/10

I always end up logging about my day at 12am the next day while “The Wendy Williams Show” watches me and waiting for my sleep meds to kick in. This seems to be the only time I can find to complet a blog entry, in a structured way anyways. Well let me begin to report my day. Today's lessons involved learning to set limits and boundaries on relationships that are not good for me, learning how to recognize and change distorted thoughts that keep me depressed and unhappy, and how to increase my self esteem. I SO learned a lot today!
I have no idea how I am to fill you in on every little detail. I'll try though. It will be good for me to remind myself of what I've learned and document it for future reference. Here it goes.

Not setting any boundaries with my mom is VERY toxic for me. I gotta set some limits soon or I'm gone have a real break down! In group, examples were offered of things I could say to her like, limiting our talk time to 10 minutes per week, tell her to change the subject because I am burdened by our conversations since there is nothing I can do right now, recommend she talk to a therapist about her problems... All very hard things to say to my mom but I know that something has got to be done! Man my Mom's has this control thing over me! She likes making me feel sorrow, remorse, and guilt. All very painful things. Never happy feelings. So, what's a girl to do?


The other thing I learned is a way to try changing the damaging negative things I think about. The self talk that keeps me feeling bad about myself. I am very good at this! Not so good at changing. So, have u ever done a mood log? Check it out.
(see my link under the mood log post)

I think it's cool, for people who really have the time to complete it each time they experience a emotional or upsetting situation or event. What functional adult has this time? Right! Anyways I'm going to do the best I can and not can (garbage can I mean) my best! LOL

Well this is what it is all about. These are the steps to complete for the purpose of changing negative thoughts to positive ones and make life a bit easier and more pleasant.

1) Identify the upsetting situation
2) Identify the distressing emotions the situation is causing you.
3) Identify the negative thoughts that fuel those emotions. (i.e. I am stupid, I'll never meet my goals...)
3) Identify all the cognitive distortions and beliefs behind those negative thoughts and feelings. http://psychcentral.com/lib/2009/15-common-cognitive-distortions/
4) use the Untwist your thinking skills. http://cognitivetherapymd.com/Links/Fifteen.htm
5) Identify your new positive thoughts after using the untwisting skills.


Confusion Ah? Well, get at me if your interested and I'll break it down better..
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