Thank you Guy for your tips. It helps to know what works for others with the same struggle. I am inspired to know that you’ve made it through the tough times and I am going to run or do a physical activity the next time I feel like watching TV. :). those numbers are shocking when compiled and I do not want to spend my life distracting! I am going to make this commitment to myself to make changes, I have noticed I have been doing the same things daily as I did when I smoked pot, so of course it feels weird to be alone and not high, I need to be doing different things. Thank you so much you are helping me realize truths. I feel focused on the amount of time I’m spending on feeling down but really it has only been a short amount of time I’ve been sober a little over a month, I am going to give this time and work on it like anything worth while. Ourselves should be the most worthwhile project.

you know, i used to think oh coorporations make a ton of money so why does it matter about theft, i could find a million reasons to justify why its okay to do. but now really it is a scary thing to be at the mercy of others such as police or your parents so the best thing to do is not make decisions that will let others affect you. You are a wonderful writer on here and in touch with yourself enough to reach out to others because you recognize that this was a problem that made you feel bad. Many people possibly some of these people are your friends, are not in touch with themselves enough to realize that stealing just feels negative even though some may “get away with it”. it is better to build your life with things that you set goals to reach, you feel much happier in the long run and it is not just instant gratification. the best things in life are worth working hard for. i am learning this myself. i am 23 and my younger sister has been caught stealing as well as one of my best friends. my friend was tackled at walmart by a store worker (which is illegal im pretty sure) for stealing nail polish. people who work these jobs probably are unhapy with their lives and will say things to make you feel as bad as them. dont let anyone shame you just take this as a learning opportunity. perhaps you would have gotten away with it and tried to steal again with your friends and maybe the consequences would have been much worse. it is okay we all make mistakes 🙂

Thank you. I find obstacles were always obstacles, now i am truly working to see them as opportunities. My dog got into a fight with another dog today, but this was an opportunity to learn that i need to keep my dog away from others because she could have harmed another dog horribly but instead she didnt and now i know better. This was horribly upsetting at first, and i still feel alittle anxious about it but i cannot control this matter and i need to be self loving instead of self blaming.

I believe you do have hope inside of you. You have hope enough that you wrote this post and we want to help you. I think you are strong enough do what you hope to accomplish with new business. What is your culture? Is dating something you are wanting in your life right now? I believe you can have a distant yet loving daily relationship with your family but sometimes things will happen when you are close around family that can trigger old emotions. That is okay, it is okay to have bad sometimes because without the bad we cannot have the good. If you find after trying that you are unable to deal with some things then give yourself permission to separate yourself from those negative things.

My mother abandoned me to take care of my 12 year old sister when I was 16 because she was addicted to drugs. My father has been in and out of jail and i do not have a relationship with him. I find now that when I am around my mother who is fully better and not on drugs now that I am angry sometimes. I was very sick recently and all i wanted was a hug, but I didnt get that from her. I do know that I am happy my mother is alive and I realize that she can’t really care for me if she cant care for herself. I think parents are just people sometimes and will never be a parent. I hope that you can see the people inside of your parents and not the icky relationship skills or communication skills they used to raise you. You are wonderfully smart, a great writer on here and in touch with your emotions. You are gifted because you are in touch with yourself, something your parents werent able to accomplish within themselves. You are an amazing strong being.

I am curious, what is a specific example of something you’ve done that you would like approval on? and what would those words sound like coming from the person you would like approval from?

recently i was worried something was wrong with my lungs so worried i felt paralyzed. my counselor put two chairs in a room and had me sit in one, and then i had to get up and sit in the other and pretend to be my lungs.

that conversation was very interesting i must say. I am 23 and this was a new concept to me. .. So If you could imagine that conversation for me and type it here, I would really like to try and help you.

I have not really had parents to be proud of me for getting good grades, being nice to others, accomplishing goals or getting a job. I do know how good it feels to reach a goal that I’ve worked hard for. or to give a compliment to someone else. Sometimes if i do to others long enough what i hope others do to me.. sometimes it comes to fruition, but many times it doesnt because i feel many people that I am not close with are very consumed by their lives as well and do not see that I need something from them.

something else that helps me is to remind myself.. that I am inside a giant bubble (ozone), floating on a rock in space . I feel small but I also feel the same size as all other humans inside the bubble. so we are all equals in that moment of visualization for me.