3 ms·

Since it's been 7+ years since you made this change personally, what has been your long term experience? Has the change stuck? Have you had periods of struggle?

by ebbv 10y ago

Since it's been 7+ years since you made this change personally, what has been your long term experience? Has the change stuck? Have you had periods of struggle? Thanks.

braythwayt 10y ago
My experience is: First, there was a dramatic immediate improvement. I feel like some of that was the material, and some the "Hawthorne Effect:" Anything that forces you to inspect yourself has a short-term beneficial effect. For example, if you tell someone to count their calories, they usually eat better for a month or two simply because counting the calories forces awareness. Second, I have slipped from time to time, and in each case, I was able to come back to health with some form of CBT. Third, I find myself using this reasoning technique on an almost daily basis, especially on the Internet where it is easy to encounter negative people. If you look elsewhere in this discussion, you'll find me saying (somewhat flippantly) "That is your baggage, and I'm not going to carry it for you." There is a touch of snark in that remark, but at it's root, I believe it is Seligman's theory again: I'm asserting that something negative is impersonal, and by refusing to carry it, I'm making it temporary.
- tinco 10y ago
  Do you know if pessimism/optimism come naturally to people? Does the CBT strategy you described fully change your attitude or do you feel you have to rationally correct yourself when you experience something negative? I'd like to help someone who I feel is overly pessimistic, but they are very skeptic of self-help books and therapies, did you feel that way? Do you have any tips to help overcome that?
  - braythwayt 10y ago
    CBT is like eating healthily: You don't just eat healthy for a year, get fit, and you're done. You adopt a healthy eating diet and keep it for life. So... You adopt CBT, maybe you do more of it right away, but you're adopting something that will become part of your life.

by ebbv 10y ago

Since it's been 7+ years since you made this change personally, what has been your long term experience? Has the change stuck? Have you had periods of struggle? Thanks.

braythwayt 10y ago

My experience is: First, there was a dramatic immediate improvement. I feel like some of that was the material, and some the "Hawthorne Effect:" Anything that forces you to inspect yourself has a short-term beneficial effect. For example, if you tell someone to count their calories, they usually eat better for a month or two simply because counting the calories forces awareness. Second, I have slipped from time to time, and in each case, I was able to come back to health with some form of CBT. Third, I find myself using this reasoning technique on an almost daily basis, especially on the Internet where it is easy to encounter negative people. If you look elsewhere in this discussion, you'll find me saying (somewhat flippantly) "That is your baggage, and I'm not going to carry it for you." There is a touch of snark in that remark, but at it's root, I believe it is Seligman's theory again: I'm asserting that something negative is impersonal, and by refusing to carry it, I'm making it temporary.

tinco 10y ago
Do you know if pessimism/optimism come naturally to people? Does the CBT strategy you described fully change your attitude or do you feel you have to rationally correct yourself when you experience something negative? I'd like to help someone who I feel is overly pessimistic, but they are very skeptic of self-help books and therapies, did you feel that way? Do you have any tips to help overcome that?
- braythwayt 10y ago
  CBT is like eating healthily: You don't just eat healthy for a year, get fit, and you're done. You adopt a healthy eating diet and keep it for life. So... You adopt CBT, maybe you do more of it right away, but you're adopting something that will become part of your life.