The Worry Control Workbook

CHAPTER 8
Controlling Worries About
Health and Safety Issues

cont.

Get Rid of Habits that are Detrimental to Good Health

Numerous study participants felt that they could let go of worries about health related issues if they could give up some bad habits that they feel compromise their chances for long term wellness. The three top concerns are smoking, substance abuse, and poor eating habits (eating too much, too little or the wrong thing).

Study participants reported the following:

I have 10+ years of non-drinking with the help of AA, 9 years on Oct. 17, 1997 of non-smoking due to a hospital program -- both worked but it was not an easy process -- I would like to do the same for food, but cannot stop.

I try not to think about this, but the truth is that I'm concerned about being too heavy. I've tried a zillion things from diets to hypnosis. I'd like to eat a healthy way and not think about weight, but I'm a food addict.

These three (weight, appearance, and addictions) all go together for me. If I could control the amount I eat, I could lose weight and I would look better.

I have taken a "life steps" course at a hospital to lose 25 lbs. It worked for a while. I wish I could lose weight for self-image as well as health. I need to make it a high priority and exercise self-control with food.

I need to lose 25 pounds by 6:30.

What are some strategies that have worked for others to help change habits?

· Twelve-step groups: Twelve step groups, while best known for their success in helping people let go of an addiction to alcohol, are now being used to successfully address other addictions. Your local newspaper will have a listing of such groups in your area.

· Support groups: There are numerous support groups available that are designed to help individuals give up specific addictions. The support from others who are trying to let go of a similar habit is very valuable. In addition, support groups are the source of good information, new ideas and even new supporters. These groups may be sponsored by hospitals, health maintenance organizations or mental health centers and are often free of charge.

· Written records of goals and progress toward meeting those goals: Many people find that developing short term goals ("baby steps") and keeping a daily record of progress is a valuable asset in letting go of an addictive habit. A simple spiral notebook works very well. You can use a form like the one that follows, or develop a form of your own. This form is for smoking but it can be modified for any addiction.

Smoking Reduction Record
Date
Goal for the day
Morning
___ # of cigarettes smoked
___ #less than previous day
Diversionary strategies that helped
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
How I felt
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Afternoon
___ # of cigarettes smoked
___ #less than previous day
Diversionary strategies that helped
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
How I felt
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Evening
___ # of cigarettes smoked
___ #less than previous day
Diversionary strategies that helped
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
How I felt
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Goal for tomorrow
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

When you have achieved your daily goals for a length of time determined by you, for instance one week with half as many cigarettes as when you began or two weeks with no sweet snacks, reward yourself by buying yourself something special you have been wanting, or treating yourself to a movie or some other event.

A food record includes a listing of everything you ate, how much you ate, when you ate it, why you ate it and how you felt when you ate it. This record could also include exercise.

One woman reported that she was having little success losing the fifteen pounds that her doctor recommended as part of a prescription for overall wellness. She knew that the extra weight was decreasing her energy and contributing to ongoing pain in her knees and hips. She began keeping daily records of everything she ate. When she reviewed her findings she realized for the first time that she was eating more food than she thought she was. She hadn't taken into account the nibble here and the nibble there. This realization got her on the right track and she is slowly but consistently losing the weight.

After you have recorded what you eat for a week or so, use the information you have learned to set up short term goals that will serve as a guide along your journey.

top | continued

home | about me | articles | quiz | crisis plan | depression recovery board
publications | seminars |