Read Online Diet Rehab: 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving the Foods That Make You Fat by Mike Dow, Antonia Blyth - Free Book Online Page B

and unworthy.
    Now, please don’t start blaming yourself for taking things personally! Just try to reframe your thoughts to imagine other explanations. If you really want to avoid this pitfall thought pattern, try one week or even one day when you don’t allow yourself to think of “not being good enough” as the reason for anything. You might be surprised at all the alternate explanations you come up with!
     
    Pitfall #2: Pervasiveness
    Pervasiveness is when any problem in any area of your life invades all the others. If one part of your life goes bad, you shut down in all areas. Of course, this makes everything worse because you allowed one weakness to nullify all of your strengths.
    PITFALL THOUGHTS:
    “I gained some weight this week—I’m calling in sick to work tomorrow.”
    “He didn’t call me—I’m not going to make an effort with him—or my friends, either.”
    “I’m worried about money—I’m just going to pick up a pint of ice cream.”
     
    REFRAMED THOUGHTS:
    “I gained some weight this week—but if I go into work tomorrow, I can have lunch with Maria, and she always cheers me up. I also know that once I’m there, I’ll probably end up forgetting about most of my frustration.”
    “He didn’t call me—and it’s times like these when my friendships are actually more important. Even though I don’t really feel like it, I’m going to call a few friends and see if I can schedule some get-togethers.”
    “I’m worried about money—but the last thing I want to do is be worried about money and my health. I’m going to take a ten-minute walk and then focus on what financial changes I can make.”
    When something goes wrong in one part of our lives, it’s easy to let that affect all of our life. The antidote to pervasiveness is perspective. In the grand scheme of things, your sorrow, frustration, or failure, however painful or upsetting, is only one piece of your life. Don’t let it spoil all the rest.
    Some people believe that the antidote for pervasiveness is gratitude. They go by the maxim, “I was upset that I had no shoes—until I met the man who had no feet.” The point of remembering what you have to be grateful for is not to undermine your feelings or to mock you for having a hard time. It’s to help you remember that there is always something more than the present moment, and always something greater than a single setback or even a whole period of setbacks. Reframing your pervasiveness into a larger vision of your life can help you boost your brain chemistry and regain your balance.
     
    Pitfall #3: Paralysis-Analysis
    This pitfall involves getting stuck in your own thoughts, trying to analyze what’s wrong with you every time a sad, angry, or unpleasant feeling surfaces. Of course, sometimes it’s appropriate to try to figure out a problem or solve a difficult situation. But if you’ve thought about that problem all you can and either there isn’t any solution or there isn’t one that you can implement right away, sometimes it’s simply better to distract yourself than to ruminate.
    PITFALL THOUGHTS:
    “What does it mean about me that I can’t lose weight?”
    “I wonder if my coworker is angry at me. I wonder why it took her so long to answer that e-mail today—what does that mean?”
    “I’m feeling blue, and I’m going to sit here thinking about why until I feel better.”
     
    REFRAMED THOUGHTS:
    “I’ve done all I can today to work on my weight-loss issues—now I’m going to take a bath and read a good book and forget about it!”
    “It’s eight p.m., and I’m spending my precious free time analyzing my work situation! I’m going to enjoy this beautiful night and take my dog for a walk before bed.”
    “I’m feeling blue, so I’m going to work in the garden. That always cheers me up.”
    If you feel that you tend to get stuck in your own thoughts, here’s my suggestion: Give yourself a time limit to think about something and set a timer. Check in