[Perna]

Is anyone doing a self-help program of some sort (like actively working with Dr. Clay's book) that they've devised and have been working on for some time? Serious/consistent journaling even that has offshoots for behavior/change?

I got the idea a couple years ago when I was looking through all my journals from the previous 6-7 years and copying thoughts, ideas, and projects I still liked into my new journal so I could tear up/trash my old ones, to then transfer some of the ideas and projects to 3 x 5 pieces of paper which I folded in 4 and put in a "special" bowl. Then, every Sunday I picked a piece of paper from the bowl (started with about 80+ but got up to 100+) and "did" whatever it said. I had essays to write about quotations I loved (to help me "learn" them) and literal projects I kept saying I was going to "do". I kept that up for 6 months-year until I moved.

On vacation in Florida in January 2006 I bought Chef Kathleen's Cooking Thin Daybook: A 52-Week Plan to Lose Weight, Get Fit, and Eat Right and when I got home I started it the end of February. A few weeks later, I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer and was going well until my asthma acted up and I had to cancel a few sessions and never got going again :-( Chef Kathleen has a website with community board I joined and I tried to do my exercises at home but quit it all about the end of May. In August I had to go to the ER for my asthma and I restarted the book as an "asthma journal" testing various foods, vitamins, etc. but gave that up even sooner.

Now I've joined Curves 2-3 weeks ago. I had to go to a new doctor and didn't want to go on meds yet for blood pressure, etc. so made a "pact" that I would lose 20 pounds by a certain time and included a before/after quiz that the American Heart Association has, showing what that would do for my blood pressure. I joined another online medical food/diet site for the DASH diet and included that paper as well as the AHA papers and my sign-up sheet from Curves. I presented this to the doctor (who was impressed :-) and hopefully this will help me keep with this program since I signed my name and "promised" to do several things. So far I'm doing well with going to Curves 3x a week but the eating has problems still :-( I'm going to have to step up and figure out another way to get the eating under control.

[(JD)]

Perna, my day to day living is a self help style... really, no pun. Eating and a scheduling of stretching, meditation etc is always a struggle for me.

I journal to try and let things "go" out of my mind, but I'm unable to review them to use them for reflection or forward progress. I'm glad you are able to do that!

I'm involved in Dr Seligman's Positive Psychology research, and my part in that is to extend positive regard for other's accomplishments etc and take it a step further when I can. This is self help, as he is proving that by doing that for others it helps the "doer." It comes naturally for me, but the self help thought has to be remembered so I push through my pain and fatigue and take it to the next rung.

I expected to lose 2 lbs a week by eating healthily. This time is hasn't happened, though I have lost 8 - 12 lbs since the first of March. I need to lose 1 lb a week at least now, but it's an effort to get food into the house.

After reading that studying a foreign language creates new brain cells (yes, just the studying does this, you don't have to learn it lol) I have begun studying Greek (again, took it in college.) Again, it's an effort for me.

As you can tell, I have a list of things to do for myself... another is to continuing training with the puppy for service dog status. I'm not sure that's really working out for me right now.

And, I'm working on the anger and aggression... as you can see by the postings

TC and keep at it