I just found this forum the other day and what a relief. It's good to read other's experiences and suggestions. I am on Lesson 3 and I really believe that this is the root of my problem. The negative thinking. I can't believe what a negative thinker I am. I woke up late the other morning and before I could grab the notebook and a pen, I had about 10 negative thoughts, one right after the other. What an eye-opener this lesson is turning out to be. Well, tomorrow my assignment is to practice not saying anything negative all day and not complain about anything. Then write down my experiences. I am really looking forward to it since I have such negative thinking all the time and this will keep me thinking in a positive manner. Has anyone else done this practice from the workbook, and if so, what were your experiences?
By the way, I bought the program last year and got through tapes 1 and 2, then quit. Mainly because I felt more anxious than ever. Well, I'm so glad I started the program again and made it to lesson 3. I really do feel better already. I'm still not ready to drive, but that will come with time. I have hope. Thanks for being here.

Positively yours,
Shawn

[This message has been edited by chonlea (edited 04-11-2001).]

Hi there!

How is it going with not complaining and trying not to think negatively? I think it's hard! But practice makes perfect.

Helen

Hi Helen,
You bet it was hard. But I did really well until evening when I was starting to get tired. Then I caught myself complaining and saying negative things. I did learn a couple of things today. One, I have alot of negative thoughts (more than I imagined). Two, I can control what comes out of my mouth. This exercise helped me to see that I can catch myself thinking negatively by watching what I plan to say next. Very interesting. You're right that practice makes perfect. This is something that I plan to do every day. Tomorrow I am doing the exercise where I say as many realistic positive things about myself and others that I possibly can. This can be challenging since I will be at work. (I work with my husband and father-in-law) Thanks for replying!
Shawn

Being tired definitely makes me more negative. I heard somewhere that you should go to bed 'before' you are actually tired. Well, I haven't figured out how to do that yet!

Helen