Optimistic journaling, do it

NOTE: You don’t need to share your private journal with everyone like I am!

Start with a negative thought and be realistically optimistic about it. Write down everything so that way you get it out of your head

I’m too lost in my mind.
Who said you had to be found? What’s wrong with being “lost in your mind”? Of course, it’s not preferable, but it’s the current reality. Do something with your body and set a written goal. Clean your room. Make a deal with yourself to not listen to every negative thought, and literally just go and do something.

I can’t think straight.
Forget about thinking straight or not thinking straight. Who said you had to “think straight”, and what is “straight thinking” anyways? Do something with your body, find a short-term purpose. Don’t dream too big because you’ll end up never taking the small steps.

I’m split off from myself. There’s nothing I can do to fix it.
How do you know there’s nothing you can do about it? Have you tried? No, you’ve been sitting in your room and the basement for the last two years thinking, and making lukewarm attempts to “get out” while all the while avoiding real discomfort.

I’m permanently a social retard.
Who told you that? Just because you suck at socializing at the moment, doesn’t mean you’ll never be good again. You never had problems socializing growing up. You have the foundation, but you isolated and that’s when deep pessimism set in. Go out there and embarrass yourself. You have nothing to lose. Your ego is so afraid of humiliation that it doesn’t want to even try. Go do it!

Of course, everybody, you don’t have to talk to yourself like how I did it. Do some form of this and I guarantee you’ll feel better.

I know taking action is hard. Just do it, though. I get stuck in thinking about action instead of doing it. As a practice and this may sound silly. Try moving your arm from left to right. There, you just took action. That’s how simple it was. Now just do that on a bigger scale.

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Learned Optimism – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_optimism

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My psychotherapist wants me to start saying nothing but positive things for 5 minutes each day. guess this is kinda the same thing.

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I know I’ve read somewhere that writing some of the negative things in your head down and then saying them aloud is also helpful. It helps you realize how ridiculous some things are.

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Possibly. But I’d give these a shot first.

REBT – Rational emotive behavior therapy - Wikipedia
Schematherapy – Schema therapy - Wikipedia
Learned Optimism – Learned optimism - Wikipedia
Standard CBT – Psychotherapy | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness & scroll down
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Get two or more of those “down,” and one can use the skills therefrom in this way to combat delusional thinking and emotional reactivity very quickly: 10 StEP – Pair A Docks: The 10 StEPs of Emotion Processing

I didn’t read all of this… I like the idea.

One thing I heard… Is the best reinforcement comes statements that are lacking words that have negative connotations…

Words like ‘no’ ‘don’t’ ‘nothing’… You can take it to whatever extreme you want… But eliminating the negative words will help a mind resonate with positivity. (Or so I’ve heard)

Instead of saying “you have nothing to lose.” You could say… “You have everything to gain.” Or “if you things right you can only build from here. This is clearly one of those things that will help you build.”

Its difficult at first… Buts its like a different language entirely… As you learn to use negative words less then your thoughts become more oriented to being positive.

It’s worth practicing a bit. I like mind games to distract from the sz… I mean its a head circus… To get away from it and learn to think “straight” with it in the background… Its a huge coping mechanism and a win.

Think about solving problems instead of dwelling on their presence. Learn what you have to in order to gain the insight into how to solve them. Also to gain insight into what problems can be solved and what have to be accepted. With some issues, Its still better to try and solve them. Whether the world contains the answers or otherwise.

And trust me… There are a lot of people out there. Someone can relate… Someone has gotten over this or that… We’re all different but there is a lot of overlap.

Glad you are still checking in bluey… Stay positive man.

Small accomplishments build up to big changes.

Keep it level at least… Then optimism will come easier.

Learn to fine with dissatisfaction. To be alone and not lonely. To love and not crush. To be patient and self caring.

I’m just ranting now… But you’ll notice… Postive words only… Avoiding negatives can be done.

Make it a rule for yourself and you’ll probably learn to speak that way in your mind pretty quickly.

Sorry that things are still rough for you. You’re gonna return to being more like your good ole self sooner than the prognosis of this illness would indicate.

In the meantime relax. If you’ve got a roof over your head and bills are paid and you have food to eat… Just do what you gotta do to maintain that… Then build from there.

Standards for people are lower than in the past these days… Especially for a SZ… You are doing just fine in life, and you’ll continue to do better. Unwind and give it time. Sz is as much neurosis as psychosis.

Have a good one @bluey. And again great idea. Journaling with a positive slant… I’ll have to remember that.

Glad to see you found something that is working for you…

I had to learn optimism too… letting go of catastrophic thinking.

Good luck and hope things keep getting better.

Exactly.

10101010

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I’m figuring it out in the last few days… I have a need for control and existential answers. I’m never gonna find them so instead I’ll just relax and distract myself.

Thanks @Azley hope its goin good

Thanks @bluey… it’s going pretty well… the only bad part of my days are right after I wake up and the stress is still present… those first few thoughts are more the extension of my past and my dreams… not quite to the point I’m thinking anew like I typically am by the end of the day… That’s when I need too review my lessons the most, but it’s also difficult because I’m barely awake…

Last night was particularly good… Made a lot of headway in consolidating things… it should be more natural and accessible within a few days.

Also started a new playthrough of Mass Effect 2… that I plan to continue into Mass Effect 3… I’m a huge fan of sci-fi and that game has a lot of stuff to do… Should keep me busy/ give me something to fall back on.

Man new thoughts are the ■■■■. I know the feeling of waking up with the same old thoughts and feelings every morning. And in the middle of the night when I need to take a number 1, its always the same thing: a review of my victim story. I can’t get it out of my head.

I wouldn’t consider myself huge on Sci Fi, although Battlestar Galactica was my favorite show of all time. I learned a lot about life through that show.

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Positive thinking is pretty cool. A more powerful tool than most would like to acknowledge…

an extension of it is problem solving… looking at things technically and seeking the answer… as gratifying as it is empowering…

I gotta sign out for the day though…

Take care man… you are well loved on here… keep that in mind.