Those who have 'put the work in' to heal/be abetter person

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What did you do? I'm wanting to do it, stressed, drink too much, eat too much, have poor self esteem. Think I need to go to a counsellor maybe? I'm happy to put the effort in, I've just started a diet but I guess the stress of that just gets me down now.. it's one thing after another and I'm never happy. Nothing bad has happened to me in the last year so I thought I should be feeling more positive and better now.. but I'm not..

Counselling ( good for thrashing out past stuff), CBT via IAPTS (so much CBT, I found it really effective, deal with your behaviour and not have to constantly analyse its origins) and taking things really slowly. Stacking stuff up so a habit is embedded before adding a new one - like first getting a daily walk, then adding a healthy breakfast, then cutting out soda, then adding in daily flossing.

Learning to body scan when I experience a strong emotion (where do I feel it, is it hot or cold, fast or slow, what colour, what feeling - use a feelings wheel) and breathing through it rather than trying to resist it or distract myself. Still a work in progress.

Also accepting that feelings come from thoughts so if I’m not feeling good trying to identify the thought and consciously choose a different thought.

Try and be patient with yourself and give yourself grace. It’s not a race, you will slip up, everyone does.

I had a lot of therapy. Advice - do a little at a time. Perhaps focus on one thing, or give a little time to a few things. Be ready to make slow progress, but you'll get there.