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11 years and counting

Timbo637

2024-10-31 6:49 AM

Quit Smoking Community

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Feels like hell week all over!!

Timbo637

2024-10-30 9:38 AM

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Roller Coaster Withdrawal

Timbo637

2024-10-14 12:28 PM

Quit Smoking Community

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Smile....and don't shoot the messenger

Timbo637

2024-09-27 3:17 PM

Quit Smoking Community

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Browse through 411.768 posts in 47.066 threads.

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metaphor: build a house


16 years ago 0 14 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi confused, Excuse for the silence. Last week I tried to follow your hint: I volunteered for a new challenge at the job. Furthermore, I read a lot in DC support group. There were so many things I would like to comment. I wrote many answers but I pressed always “cancel & return”. I thought that my opinion is not important enough to share it. Low self-esteem is at the moment one of my problems. Thank you very much for offering your tools – very kind of you. As I mention, I need to clean the space for the construction site first. In order to do it I need two tools: A special kind of pump (to pump up my self-esteem) and an examination tool or loupe (to find evidences that my negative thoughts are not true). Looking forward to your answer.
16 years ago 0 183 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi DonGato, How're you doing?
16 years ago 0 183 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi DonGato Thanks for your thoughtful response. You're right, and I know that it's my house that I can build as I like without worry of the criticism of others, and yet knowing and believing are still so far apart for me. The CBT is helping me to stand up to my perfectionist and my critic, but it seems to be taking me forever. I'm not alone -- I have a therapist I trust, participate in a self-help group once a week, and have found a CBT group course that starts next week. I wish that my family would acknowledge and support, but they are deep in the stigma and I don't think that I'm going to be able to change that. I have a few friends, but I've been struggling with this depression since before I moved back to my home city 5 years ago and have shut out most people from my life. Which means that the friends I have are true, strong and determined, since they've persisted through all my barriers :) I'm very sorry that your trusted friends refused to help you -- I know how very painful that is. Can you be more specific about your situation? I have gathered tools enough to build 10 houses (I'm really good at gathering tools:)) and may have some that could help. Take care
16 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Members, Also keep in mind that each we time we practice a skill we get better at it. Keep building! Danielle, Bilingual Health Educator
16 years ago 0 14 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
> Which is where I am. Ready to start building, but afraid to start building. What if I come across something I don't > know how to do, and everybody's looking to me to show them how. Best do it alone, then, rather than risk > looking stupid. What if it doesn't work? What if, once it's all built, it falls over? What if it's not perfect – people > walking by will know that I'm incompetent! What if green isn't the right colour for the roof -- would blue be more > acceptable? What if... What if... Hi confused, As I promised I like to answer you. Let me stick to this metaphor: The house you have to build is for you. Nobody else has to live there but you. If green is your favour colour it is the perfect colour for the roof. Do not try to build it alone. I have some experiences with it and a can not recommend it. If the house falls apart, it hurts you much more that the short moment you perhaps look stupid. Don’t forget: nobody is perfect! Anybody on the world is incompetent in a certain field to a certain degree. E.g. I accept that I have even a limited competence in the field I work for more than 10 years. In contrast to you I’m not ready to start building. Though I have some ideas how to build - I do not find a suitable place for the construction site. I asked some people - who I really trusted - for help. All of them refused. That’s why I’m here: looking for help. Putting analogies aside, it is a very strange situation. Any thing I tried to come out went completely wrong. It is as I could observe myself from outside. I know exactly what I do wrong but I cannot take corrective action. Now, after I start working with the CBT it become better but – as you certainly can imagine – there are ups and downs …

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