Last night I was feeling really upset about something. Months ago, I probably would have acted out. More recently, I would have told myself, "don't act out, don't act out."
But lately, I've had a lot of success with catching these bad moods before they start and warding them off.
And I've also had some success with trying to reflect on positive thoughts.
But I felt stuck already.
Instead, a new realization came to mind: YES, I'M REALLY UPSET!!! But that's OK. I'm a human being and this happens sometimes.
I just admitted it to myself. I don't have to run to my addiction. I can just admit to being human.
Duvid Chaim mentioned at the recent Kumzitz in Israel (that he came to while visiting) that lots of people suffer from, "don't speak, don't trust, don't feel." It's a coping mechanism that a person develops over time. I don't know if this is what he means, but it makes sense: The remedy here was to simply ACKNOWLEDGE MY EMOTIONS - AS IS.