Goals Without Obstacles?

This is one of the realities of life- Every time anyone sets a goal, there are also going to be obstacles. Obstacles of "I don't have enough time, money, energy, resources etc."

Obstacles can feel more real than goals; they seem to have weight and dimension. Because goals are further away and self defined, they may seem "less real". Please don't fall for the optical illusion.

Once you've identified the barriers to achieving a goal, it's often difficult to stop focusing on them rather than the goal itself. The reason is simple? the obstacles are closer to you. It's important that you learn to look up and over them so you can focus on the prize.

"Act as if" you have already achieved them, keep accessing the resources available to you and keeping moving forward. Remember that the things you're working towards are just as real as the items you need to overcome.

Think of one small thing this post may inspire you to do differently. Apply this inspiration to your scheduled activities today. Make it more real by writing your answer in your journal or on a post-it note.

Best of health and warmest regards, Paul Radkowski

"Life is made up of millions of moments, but we live only one of these moments at a time. As we begin to change this moment, we begin to change our lives"
D. Trinidad Hunt

info@liferecoveryprogram.com
http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com/

Depressed, Anxious or Distorted? Part 3

In the previous posts we explored how your negative thoughts can create anxiety, depression and the conditions to act out in addiction. There is something you can do about these pesky personal demons, you can begin to challenge your thinking!

Review the 2 Cognitive Distortion lists outlined previously.

Next, do these steps by writing them out. Better yet, share and do these steps with someone you care about as you can help catch each other distortions.

What are your top 3 Distortions?
Often the more distortions we have or the more
intense they are, the more beat up you will feel.

Step 1: Write down negative thoughts rather than let them fly around in your head (writing the down will help you really catch them and more objectively see them, so you can then more objectively challenge them).

Step 2: Read over the cognitive distortions and note which ones apply to you.

Step 3: Replace cognitive distortions with objective thoughts.

Let’s run through an example…

Step 1: Cognitive Distortion- “It’s my fault my partner is depressed”

Step 2: What fits from the list?- Personalization

Step 3: More objective thought- “I’m not in control of my partner. I’m not able to “force them” into a depression”

Challenging your automatic, distorted assumptions will change the neuro-circuitry and neuro-chemistry of your brain. Meaning, it will help you overcome
depression, anxiety, stress etc where you won’t feel hijacked by your thoughts and feel more in control of your life and better about yourself.

Best of health and warmest regards, Paul Radkowski

info@liferecoveryprogram.com
http://www.liferecoveryprogram.com/