I am on lesson 4 and I am questioning whether or not lesson 5 is going to be very valuable. Has any ever skipped that lesson or just quickly gone over it?

I did not skip any of the lessons, only the one about substance abuse...I do not use alcohol or drugs to calm myself, so I listen to it and skipped it.

The eating and exercise has alot of good info in it. I took less than a week on that one, but it is worth a do. Proper diet and excercise is beneficial in getting this under control. I notice if I have something caffinated, I start shaking. So diet is very important in curbing anxiety and helping depression.

I can drink caffeine til the cows come in and I don't really notice much. But I do try to stop drinking it by dinner time

Topdawg,

When I first started this lesson, compared to the others, I also had an inclination to think this would be a ‘lite’ lesson. But I decided to give it the same amount of time and effort I had put into the previous ones and I’m very glad I did.

Maybe look at it this way. When we’ve made the commitment to purchase this program, and then have taken the next step and made the commitment to work the program...what we’ve done in essence, is make a commitment to learn and try new techniques...a commitment to change our old ways of approaching life, in favor of a new and untried way of approaching life. We are maybe, and likely for the first time, really investing in ourselves. You’ve begun that process and my thinking would be...why take a short-cut at this point...why take a chance and become selective with deciding which lessons will and will not produce much needed change in you, before working the lesson as strictly as you’ve worked the others?

I did not think I had issues with caffeine or sugar either, but this was just a guess. My system hadn’t been without either for as long as I could remember. So, when I eliminated caffeine and cut way way back on the sugar...and then used this lesson to help myself work exercise back into being a part of my life...I did noticed the impact and positive changes to my sleep routine, in my anxiety level and body symptoms. I have remained mostly caffeine free all this time since. (I say mostly because, I am back to eating chocolate...and there is caffeine in chocolate. Besides this though...I am caffeine free and I have plans to lower my chocolate intake once again.) By following this lesson, I do believe I learned that these stimulants do affect my system more than I would have believed they did.

What can it hurt? Start cutting back on the caffeine and in a week or two when you are caffeine free...stick to that for a few weeks and then gauge whether or not you notice a positive difference...that’d be my opinion; same with the sugar and same with the exercise. You just may discover something really impacting and if not...what have you lost in the meantime?

There are so many ways in which our old thinking, old habits and past patterns of resistance to change work to sabotage our efforts to live more calm and less anxiety ridden lives...it’s a real source of challenge for us when we take on this program. I’d say give the teachings in this lesson a real effort...it will encourage and reinforce you to do the same with all the following lessons and if nothing else...that’s a positive and yet another step you are taking for you.


My best,
JOP

quote:

Originally posted by topdawg:
I can drink caffeine til the cows come in and I don't really notice much. But I do try to stop drinking it by dinner time

I used to say the same thing! It wasn't until I went through the program and specifically chapter 5 and limited myself to half a cup of coffee first thing in the morning (I drink half caf/half decaf so at least I can feel like I'm having a whole cup!!) did I realize that I am EXTREMELY sensitive to caffeine and all other stimulants come to think of it. I believe it made a huge difference in helping to curb my constant anxiety. Try cuttingout caffeine, you might be surprised at how your body reacts once you're over the withdrawal symptoms.

I struggle with the sugar, though. I haven't been able to cut it out completely. I limit myself to the occasional dessert and try to get all my sugar needs met through fruit, but it's tough and I don't even have that much of a sweet tooth so I really feel sorry for you chocaholics out there!

by the way, the exercise component is really helpful in this chapter. Working off the excess adrenaline really helps me keep my anxiety/depression in check. The trick is doing it daily...

How much caffeine did you consume before that and what effect did it have on you?

I used to drink at least a couple of cups of coffee at breakfast and then I'd get a coffee or two when I got into work. I'd have coffee after lunch and maybe half way through the afternoon if I was feeling drowsy. If I went out for dinner I wouldn't hesitate to have an espresso. I thought it didn't have any effect on me, but I never made the connection between my constant anxiety (and I mean constant--I had anxiety almost every moment of the day for a good 20 years) and my use of stimulants. I include cold medicine in that because I realize I'm very sensitive to that too. I think it raises my adrenaline levels or something. Whatever it is, it makes me feel awful--and for years I thought that horrible feeling was normal, which is why I thought I could drink as much coffee as I liked!

I didn't realize I had anxiety until I did the program--I thought it was depression and took medication for it, which never really worked that well. Once I learned the tools to manage anxiety I realized I wasn't actually depressed, I just had horrible anxiety. Limiting caffeine and other stimulants was part of managing my anxiety.

Since I already cut out caffeine and I have started exercising, I am using lesson 5 as motivation to keep it up and to cut my sugar intake. Instead of focusing all week on the lesson itself however, the first day of my "week" on the lesson, I listened to it and read it, am working again on lessons 2 & 3 because those have been difficult for me and then will listen and read lesson 5 again at the end of the week.