When you consider changing something in your life - first thoughts that come to wind are almost always negative ones. This is a common reaction, but you can do something about. Read the following statements carefully, allowing them to sink in. They are, no doubt, more accurate than negative ones, and an energy source rather than an energy drain.
1. "No matter where I am right now and how bleak things seem, I did not get here because I was stupid, crazy, or inept. I did what I had to do to get vital needs met, what I learned to do to survive. The coping style I adopted was effective given the limitations I had at one time."
2. "I may have fewer limitations and more alternatives now. I am not six years old or sixteen; I am an adult with more know-how and resouces at my command."
3. "No feeling, be it fear, anxiety, or sadness, is ever as unmanageable or devistating as I imagine it will be. Emotions, no matter how distressing do not last forever."
4. "I cannot and do not have to be aware and in conscience control 24 hours a day. I do not have to constantly look at myself under a microscope."
5. "No one changes perfectly, or overnight. I may wish I could discard all of my unproductive habits at once, but that is not going to happen. Since aiming for all or nothing for all or nothing is a prescription for disaster, I will take one step at a time."
