After a really chaotic week, I find writing a reflection post can really be a healthy source for balancing my thoughts. So here goes.
I'm going to start by congratulating myself for accomplishing yet another week without gambling. Despite the feeling that gambling is not a high risk in my current lifestyle, I aim to ground myself, by not taking the daily success to not gamble, as a grateful feeling. Day 380. Amazing to say aloud to myself.
Reflecting on this week alone, I am feeling very proud. I finally took the plunge to sign up to the gym after weeks of weighing it up (no pun intended, I promise!) - I am in a healthy shape, but I would like to tone up and moreso I would like to feel even healthier within my headspace too. I signed up on Wednesday, and I've raised my consistency to train my muscles 4 days out of a possible 5. The most encouraging part has been my drive to want to go back for more. I label this as a 'healthy' addiction to monitor. On a side note, I also bumped into a school friend that I hadn't seen for 15 years whilst I was at the gym...a reminder how we live in a small world!
Winding back up to the very start of the week though, on Monday, I had a really tough day mentally. However I was extremely proud of myself to acknowledge that my mind was all over the place, and my strong awareness to identify possible triggers is exactly why I believe I have done so well to reach 380 days of being gamble free. Anyway, I noticed that perhaps it was a lack of sleep after a full-on weekend, or perhaps being out of routine and so unorganised for the week ahead...either way I found that just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other on that particular day led me to turn my day around in the end - happy days!
I also practised taking notes when I felt small moments of frustration (what emotions was I feeling? What exactly was on my mind? etc), and yet again I developed an even deeper self-understanding as a result. It can be really tough, but I seriously recommend it to anyone else who experiences this too.
For the new week fast approaching, I am wary that I will have a new routine from my work that will require me to adapt quickly. And I'm also going to be starting my week with a minibus driving assessment - which I am going into with very little control over how I could practise etc. But this has been one of the best tricks to recovering from my gambling addiction - being able to identify future triggers and then planning a solution to fall back upon (if needed).
I believe I will continue to do well, and I hope to read back on this proving myself right!
Thanks for the wisdom.very pleased you have achieved this well done you ive learnt from your postÂ
Thanks for your wisdom I'm impressed with your approach and no less with your progress I've learnt from your post and well done
Hi azza, 380 is amazing, your right about triggers ,im in very early days, I am just learning about myself. Gym is positive, 'healthy addiction to monitor' made.me laugh. Your an inspiration mate and by the time I get to 380 days , you will be up to 755 days. That's a lot of precious time. Wish you all the best.
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Hi
It is very healthy to reward our self, to even say we did good this week.
My old unhealthy habit was to beat myself up and call myself names, nothing healthy in living in the pains of my past.
Learn from the past and then let it go.
If we understand we were were very unhealthy people we can heal and live a much healthier more productive life if we choose to make healthy changes.
For me gambling is a very unhealthy self destructive habit.
Having feelings of proud, yet it is important to understand that abstaining is just the start of our recovery and healing.
Abstaining just meant to me that I had stopped hurting myself further.
For my healthy recovery I was going to heal from the pains of my past, one by one.
Sign up to the gym is a healthy commitment.
It is important to not become obsessive about some thing we could push our self physically to far to quickly, slow steady increases is best.
It is very healthy taking notes when we are feeling emotionally vulnerable, well done.
My emotional triggers were my pains not healed, my fears not faced, my frustrations due to my unreasonable expectations of life people and situations, my feeling of loneliness and my boredom.
You can believe you will continue to do well, that is gaining confidence and faith in your self very healthy.
Recovery is a slow learning curve towards healthier thinking.
Stick with it you are worth it.
Love and peace to every one
Dave L
AKA Dave of Beckenham UK
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