Posted by shar on August 25, 2000, at 23:46:51
In reply to Somebody to talk to...Jena and everybody..., posted by shar on August 25, 2000, at 23:26:09
I agree with other posters that sometimes the worst part of old habits is fearing them.
My philosophy is that in everything we do, we are not perfect. Sometimes we are great, sometimes not so great--but rarely is it a permanent condition. And, when we fear old habits, we are selling ourselves short because a lot of learning and coping skills have grown since we were "back there."
So, if being in a good place is square 100, and you slip back some, you don't go to square 1 again. You'd probably find it very alien, because you don't live at square 1 anymore. Maybe you'll slip back to square 95, because you're having a lot going on in your life, moving, starting school, feeling anxious, etc.
You know that you can move from square 95 to square 100 again. You've probably already done it a few times; feeling down or anxious and taking steps to bring yourself along to feeling better (talking to friends, therapy, whatever it takes). So, I encourage you to loosen up on the fear of jumping back to old habits (at square one) and accept the fact that you may slide a square here and there, but the road is more even, it's not a steep hill where you'll just go right down, and you have new tools to help yourself.
I say this to me, to you, and to everyone. All those old familiar behaviors are not likely to fit you anymore, but we know those behaviors really well, and we may slip back a bit from time to time.
Not to worry. I think we all do it. I can tell when I do it because it feels weird to me. I may have to do a little work to get back to square 100, but I know I can do it. And so can we all.
Shar
poster:shar
thread:207
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20000813/msgs/231.html