How to treat compulsive thinking

Compulsive thinking creates thought patterns that are life draining. Learn a few simple steps to change compulsive thinking here. And ask your questions about how to change thought patterns at the end.

3
minute read

The Silent Addict

It’s not surprising that we all identify addiction with someone who is addicted to cocaine, pills, marijuana, alcohol, heroin and food. The manifestation of those addictions are obvious.

As a former addict, I wore my addiction to cocaine almost like a badge of honor. Anyone could tell by looking at my dried out dirty hair, unkempt clothes, emaciated body and war-ravaged life that something was very wrong. And my addiction to food was pretty clear as well when my body would balloon up and down the scale like a yoyo, and I’d hear my friends exclaim every time they saw me “Wow, you’ve lost weight,” or avert their eyes altogether from my expanding waist line. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I missed a day of work or wanted to kill anyone who spoke to me because of my massive sugar hangovers.

But what about those silent addictions that go unnoticed because your life hasn’t fallen apart, and your dependent behavior is not showing up on your waistline? There are so many people in this world that want to stick their head in the oven because of their addiction to procrastination, worry/fear and a plethora of other emotional disorders. Other than the admonition of “Get your act together,” there’s no treatment for these dependent behaviors and addictions because they’re not viewed the same way as other dependent behaviors.

Addiction is when you have lost the power to choose whether or not you will act in a certain way. How many times have you said to yourself, “I’m going to get organized today – I’m going to start that project – I’m not going to call that person who has broken off their relationship with me – I’m not going to be in fear and worry – I’m not going to watch porn,” and the list goes on ad infinitum – but found you had absolutely no control over your actions?

These addictions and dependent reactions are just as deadly and life-draining as being addicted to any substance, and yes – there is a solution beyond “get your act together.” If you had the power to get your act together on your own, you would have done it a long time ago.

12 Steps For The Rest Of Us are a set of principles that reconnect us to our wholeness. The “Truth” of us with a capital “T,” that has been lost and buried under the illusion of unworthiness, shame, abandonment, rejection and so many other root chakra core wounds. Getting beyond why secrets keep us sick, we reconnect to our true selves. It is through the reconnecting to our wholeness, that dysfunctional ways of being can start to diminish and eventually heal.

Below are five of the 12 Steps For The Rest of Us:

1. Ask yourself, who would I be if I didn’t feel unworthy and inadequate? Who would I be if I weren’t afraid of failure?

Example: I would be energized and on fire. I would be excited and productive. I would be more loving and available.

2. Imagine reconnecting to your sense of wholeness. You can call it God, Spirit, Universe or just love.

3. Surrender your fears and judgments about yourself to the power greater than yourself.

4. Do one or two things differently today than you did yesterday. Try and abstain from an unhealthy habit for a couple of hours, then half a day, then try the entire day.

5. Give thanks that you are growing, changing and expanding into the magnificence you were created to be.

About the author
Ester Nicholson, renowned vocalist for Bette Midler and Rod Stewart, author, teacher, speaker and former addict uses her own astonishing story as the core of her powerful teaching, book and new Hay House Radio Show: Soul Recovery - 12 Keys to Healing Addiction and 12 Steps for the Rest of Us. Please visit: soulrecovery.org for more information.
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