Positive attitude? How?!

[Shawnee1988]

I need suggestions on what I can tell myself to have a positive attitude. I've been sooooo negative this time around. What are some things I can tell myself? I need help changing my mind set. I feel down and depressed. I feel negative. I hate it.

[Bigdaddy1313]

I think tanning will help as far as your mood goes. The sun along with the vitamins D will help boost your mood thus improving your attitude. Criket advised going slow as far as an anti-depressant goes and I think that is solid advice. Bottom line is you need to have patients. You will notice changes IMO at the 30 day, the 60 day and 90 day mark. Once again time is your best friend and you need to just let it happen. Once your done with the physical sickness than you need to let your brain begin to heal. Its like tearing a big scab off your knee. Right now your brain is road rash just like your knee when you fell off your bike as a little girl. Give it time, give it air, give it love and it will heal.

[Shawnee1988]

Do you think that might help? I'm feeling great today

[Shawnee1988]

Thanks everyone. Dolphins no I havenf. I'm going to start tanning tomorrow as I'm getting ready for my trip to Saint Lucia where my boyfriend is.

[luvdolphins58]

Hello. Have you tried st. Johns wort. Also extra dose of vitamin D. Of course ask Dr or pharmacist. Personally I found st johns wort really helped. Natural mood enhance

[Firstandlasttimer]

Is there an activity or hobby that you've always meant to look into but for some reason never did? Now's the time to do it. You need something to keep your mind off of the fact that you're detoxing. Learn something new, become an expert at something. You'll be amazed at how much time can pass without those negative thoughts when you're doing something interesting.

[Cricketk92]

Hey Shawnee!  I hope this finds you feeling better!  You got some great advice above!  Please just know that it is so normal to feel like you are during detox!  And the mental part can last for a while!  Keep on talking to your therapist and maybe she can give you some info on CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)  That can really help with our thought process!!!  Also like Big Daddy said...get outside or do some exercise!  That helps tons!!!  Try to give yourself a bit more time before you decide to go the anti depressant route.  They can help some people but can be so full of side effects for others and many times can be a bear to get off of!  SO be patient with yourself and see if your mood doesnt begin to lift as detox goes on!  You are doing great!!!  Keep it up!!!!  XO Karen

[Bigdaddy1313]

You sound a lot like me. I had no patience and wanted to feel normal 3 days after stopping. Unfortunately you need to realize it took you longer than 9 days to become addicted and its going to take some time to start to feel emotionally and spiritually better. Make sure you get outside for some fresh air and sunshine. Exercise was very helpful for me because it causes your body to release those wonderful endorphins that the drugs tricked our body to releasing in huge amounts. I wish I had a magic remedy but all I can say is give your brain time to heal. Your brain has gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson when he was in his prime and now it needs time to heal itself. Nine days clean is tremendous and give yourself props. That alone should have a positive affect on your attitude. Nine days is not an easy feat. One of my biggest obstacles is I was so hard on myself and I still am to this day but we all need to realize that addiction is a disease. Talk to your therapist about meds to help you with depression. I went on Cymbalta for several months but I didn't like the side effects (Zero Libido) so I went off and replaced it with an hour of exercise a day. For me the exercise was key for my emotional well being. Keep up the good work. It will get better day by day and month by month.

[ChasingFreedom]

Your greatest enemy in getting clean is yourself.   The absolute worst thing you can do is feel sorry for yourself.   If you do this you'll end up talking yourself into needing the pills.  You'll come up with every reason under the sun as to why it's a good idea.  Then when you cave the viscous cycle of guilt and shame start all over again.  I decided to tell myself (out loud every day) that the pills were POISON and I was literally poisoning myself.  I truly believe this today.  Those pills are destroyers of lives.  Their so-called benefits of relieving pain creates more harm than benefit.  YOU are the only one who can dig yourself out.  Remember, you want this!  Say something positive about yourself every day.  You are important to the world and you`re worth showing yourself some Self Love.  

[Shawnee1988]

I'll try that.

[vicki595]

Say this to yourself: "It's ONLY day 9."  You'll feel much differently on day 30. It's early yet.

[Shawnee1988]

Thanka. I don't know, maybe I need depression medicine because nothing makes me remotely happy.

[vicki595]

Perfectly stated Bigdaddy. It gets better Shawnee. Time and patience are your new friends. Try changing up your scenery and routines. Do things you don't usually do like read or walk or swim everyday. Something different to take up space in your head like learning something new will cause you to think differently.   Remember that brain chemicals have been affected and have to begin to wake up so some of this is just out of your hands.

Keep pushing, keep trying and try buying a new lipstick!

[kellygirll]

i think it comes with the territory when i came home from rehab the end of september i had an awful two months at  least... i hated everything everything suckked real BAD i was an emotional negative hot mess oh god to think about it makes me shudder it will pass i promise you just have to give it time your doing so awesome keep it up girl!!!!

[Shawnee1988]

And congrats on your clean time!! That's so awesome!

[Shawnee1988]

Thank you BD. I do aftercare with an addiction therapist. I'm not sure hoe to look at this positively? I'm on day 9 of coming off tramadol. What kind of positive things can I say to myself to change my attitude? Thanks!

[Bigdaddy1313]

Shawnee, I'm not sure where you are at in the battle to get clean but you need to understand a bad attitude is all part of addiction. The demon of Addiction wants you to have a bad attitude, addiction wants you to doubt yourself, addiction wants you to feel unhappy and sorry for yourself. I speak of addiction like its a real, ugly, breathing demon and its sitting back saying "come on Shawness you know what will make you happy. You know that you can still get your drug of choice, you know when your numb your happy so go ahead and give up and swallow a couple of your happy pills." The thing you need to understand Shawnee that everything addiction promises is a lie. It only leads to unhappiness and despair. There is an alternative and that is being free of pills. I recall thinking I can't be happy without my oxy's. Life is way to boring if I'm not high. I thought that for a long time and I was wrong. In March I will celebrate 730 days of being clean and sober. I can tell you I'm happy, I'm content, Life is good. You have to do some work for which Jifmoc talked about (aftercare) but its well worth it. Give your brain the time it needs to heal and I can promise your attitude with change. God bless.

[Shawnee1988]

Thank you. I'll try that. I'm trying to figure out how to fix my actual attitude. It's so poor.

[jifmoc]

Shawnee- I remember your name from before. You are getting off tramadol right? I'm sure you've read about aftercare being mandatory for us. I don't know if you are in aftercare and relapsed, sorry I just don't remember. But, if not, now is the time! Hell, I can't fix my brain w/ my brain. I need support (real life) to help me:)

[Sonrissa]

OK, think about things you love.... Friends, family, flowers, chocolate....things like that.  Watch a funny movie, or a sad one..  The best thing, for me, was putting on my headphones and listening to the music I loved when I was young. I blasted some old Springsteen, Bob Segar, Journey, or even some Barry Manilo, David Cassidy, Neil Diamond.... You get the picture.  I listened to the stuff that brought back the good memories.  Another thing is to go through some old pictures. Stuff when you were a kid. That, is always good for a laugh.

Hang in there.  You are getting closer and closer.