Its obvious that in order to elicit change, one has to make an effort to step out of one’s comfort zone. No-one is denying this. Quite often the measures that one needs to take are so simple, so obvious and ordinary and yet, they become this unattainable quest and seemingly impossible. It is only when one takes that first step that one can look back and realise that it only requires a simple decision. However, just stepping out once doesn’t effect any lasting changes or benefits. The key is to continue along this new route until it becomes commonplace and…
behaviour
THE WHEELS OF THE BUS
Sometimes the pool is empty and there is nothing inside. This leads to some dangerous and destructive behaviour in the life of an addict because it is invariably accompanied by a plethora of negative, guilt-ridden, self-doubting inner conversations that only serve to exacerbate and escalate an already unhealthy situation. Yesterday was the same and tomorrow will invariably follow suite. If I know all this, then why don’t/can’t I jolly well do something about it? If I look at it objectively, I get so irritated with myself for this indulgent and useless behaviour and the fact that I haven’t the gumption…
THE KINDNESS CHALLENGE
As has happened numerous times in my life, more times than I could ever calculate, my desire to successfully implement and execute the desire to follow a programme or challenge to myself has backfired. It was all a bit of a damp squib. Not that the earnest desire and good intentions weren’t genuine. They always are but in the end, everything I set out to do takes a backseat to my obsession with food, my rituals and my repeated behaviour. I’m talking specifically about the 30 day Kindness Challenge and the 7 day Kindness quest I set myself. In the…
SURVIVAL!!
Since admitting to my obsession with food I have been wondering if we aren’t all capable of being somewhat more interested and invested in our food consumption than is considered healthy or necessary. There is a global epidemic of obesity and its related health implications. Would those who over-consume have the same unnatural preoccupation with food as do those who under-consume? This got me thinking about the role of food throughout the ages, the value placed on it and the means of locating/ purchasing/ finding this life-sustaining commodity. I thought it might be interesting to draw up some comparisons/differences between…
DEVOTION
I am still not prepared to make the full and final commitment to implimenting the practical steps that I need to take to elicit the changes I am seeking. I need to be upfront and transparent about the process otherwise the whole point of this blog and writing about my struggles will be worthless and a waste of time. However, what is changing is my recognition and awareness of my problem that is almost becoming a daily reminder. I am trying to discipline myself first in my commitment to posting on my blog and hopefully this process will set the…
KINDNESS
I love it when signs point towards a specific theme or issue that I have already been open to. My desire to make contact with someone in need for 7 days was further endorsed and enforced when I came across The Thirty Day Kindness Challenge .The challenge is to be kind in words and actions to someone or several people you know for an entire 30 days. The hope is that like all habits that form when there is consistency and repeated behaviour, one can also train oneself to develop good and positive habits. The benefits are huge, not only…
PANDORA’S BOX
I loathe shopping. I especially dislike shopping inside a large mall. After about an hour I lose the will to live. There is however, one exception and that is shopping for food. I am passionate about this pastime. I get this feeling of total euphoria, a zone of inner contentment that borders on obsessional. My interest is especially piqued when I am in a foreign country or in an unfamiliar or uncharted food market. I can literally spend hours wandering the aisles not just looking at the merchandise but as a paying consumer, happy to spend a small fortune on…
SUNSHINE
For the next 7 days I am going to reach out to at least one person a day especially where I sense that someone may be in need. It may be to someone I already know or it may be a total stranger. It will have to be a form of communication that requires more effort than just sending a text or an email. At the very least, a phone call. At best, my physical presence. After 7 days I will add a post describing how I got on.
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
I’ve just been to the library. As a child, this was where I found my solace, my nourishment and my escape. Without a father and with an absent mother, I would spend hours wandering between the shelves, the smell of old books pervading my nostrils and the silence strangely comforting. Without the distraction of television and well before the advent of social media and technology, books ( and the occasional film ) were the only means of escaping into a world of fantasy . Through reading and books I learned how to numb myself , to remove myself from reality…
SEND HER DOWN!
One of the biggest impediments and stumbling block to change has to be the concept of guilt. Whilst a conscience and realisation of something untoward that one may have done is good because it elicits some degree of culpability, feeling guilty about it doesn’t necessarily have the same desired effect. The former is likely to be something one has said or done that wounds another. The latter in many instances is about one’s behaviour ( eating or drinking too much, overspending, neglecting chores to rather sleep in or watch daytime TV etc ) and this is where the term ‘…