One of the drawbacks of old-school CBT is that it gets people to add up evidence against the stuff in your head. You engage with those thoughts and feelingsand you prove them wrong and irrational! In theory. Unfortunately, this can just turn into a never ending debate-a-thon. It encourages your brain to come up with increasingly terrifying and complex uncertainties until it finds one you can’t prove wrong. You can always come up with some worry or an insecurity firmly rooted in your past experiences that will outweigh and overwhelm any evidence to the contrary. It can be much more useful to work on learning to accept uncertainties and fears instead of spending your life trying to win a debate competition you’ve already lost simply by signing up. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqkSJ_6HXUd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tdmfb3374dn4

Look at what you’re struggling with in your head and approach it from a skills and fitness perspective: What do you need to learn? What do you need to build? If somebody told you they were avoiding yoga because they’re not flexible, or they don’t lift weights because it makes them feel weak, what would you tell them? How can you apply that same knowledge about how the body changes to your own challenges with change around mental health? https://www.instagram.com/p/BqVSuJunPZE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jddvin9lyfxr

This was from a slide for an OCD conference presentation I gave but you could really throw any mental illness label there on the left. We just get stuck in this loop of having experiences we don’t like, trying to control them in the only ways we know how, which leads to more experiences we don’t like, and more unhelpful controlling… Learn new ways to interact with experiences. Don’t get caught up in the superficial topics or judgments. Break the cycle. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqALxpWnl71/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c0ccjjohenrq

If you see success as solving the problem of you, don’t be surprised if you’ve always got a problem. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp7bIluHnNZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dkvladd2vrkm

You can make the switch away from doing everything as a reaction to fear, and towards living your life proactively aligned with your values. And you can do that today. YOU ARE NOT A ROCK available here: bit.ly/youarenotarock Fall leaves available on the ground now (in the cold northern hemisphere). https://www.instagram.com/p/BprVskzHxL8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1m56c1l0aeswg

See that smile on the person that’s getting lost just off the path? It really helped me to recognize that I loved doing all sorts of things that contributed to poor mental health. I thought my compulsions were necessary and part of my personality. . If you find yourself drowning in a swamp, be open to the possibility that you liked the steps that took you there. So maybe it’s time to like different steps. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpo8vBlHhFL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4ggagbodavgt

Whenever you spend time and energy in life, you’re nourishing something. Maybe you’re nourishing many different somethings. What are they? Will you be happy with the fruit they produce? Will you be happy with the somethings that grow much larger than the other somethings because of the water and fertilizer you gave them? Are you planting the seeds you want to plant? Are you even in the garden?

#practice #nourish #growth #mindfulness #mentalhealth #fitness #health #recovery #self #selfcare #goals #work #transformation
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You don’t have to chase the unicorn fart of motivation to get shit done. There are better fuels for life. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpScu09nkGX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k0pathy10i0r