Starting Over for the Last Time

  My latest breakthrough in therapy is facing my Inner Critic. Something so simple that I almost want to kick myself for not working on it much sooner in life! I should say thankfully I learned something great in therapy and am practicing it now. See how my inner critic tells me I am stupid for not dealing with it sooner? My inner critic is an asshole, but I am taking the power back! It is all about recognizing this negative voice, taking away it's control of your thoughts, and eventually silencing it, or ignoring it altogether. It is exhausting, and it isn't easy... We have to unlearn behaviors, break bad habits, practice coping mechanisms, and do any "homework" you may get from your therapist, or that you may give to yourself. The road to a more peaceful existence is not an easy one, but the more tools you have in your tool box the better the chances are that you will use them.   This post explains 3 different ways to quiet your inner critic, that voice inside your ...

This is my first post in a while. At one point I took the site down. September and October were full of extremes. Weeks where every little thing weighed me down, followed by a series of positive changes that seemed to just fall in my lap in a matter of days. This led to weeks of feeling unstoppable and that the pain was over. My path to peace and happiness was so clear and I was enjoying every freaking minute of it.  Boxing analogy? Sure why not? Then it happened again. One negative thing after another. Akin to Rocky taking a beating from the giant Russian in Rocky IV. How could this happen? I was finally on the path. The one that I prayed for. I'm supposed to be the happy guy. I'm supposed to be at peace. I'm supposed to be fulfilling a purpose. I'm supposed to be the fun guy who makes people laugh. Guess what? Life is not designed that way. We need the bad to appreciate the good, the pain to experience the pleasure, and the gloomy days to appreciate the sunny ones. Bu...

I first heard about this technique from a woman I dated several years ago. I never forgot it, and since then have heard and read about this technique being used. I have also shared this several times with friends and family members  with positive feedback, so I thought I would share it with you.  First let's address the fact that panic attacks are annoying, uncomfortable, exhausting and well... absolutely terrifying. Panic attacks can last anywhere between a few seconds to minutes... which then feel like hours.  You can feel like you're dying, you can't breathe, your limbs may go numb, or you may feel detached from reality. People can also experience a state of general panic that lasts for days.   I have personally experienced all of the above, and this 5-4-3-2-1 technique has been helpful more than enough times. I am not an expert, take this advice as you wish, for some it may be too uncomfortable or weird to do. I will explain each step of the tech...