Friday, August 7, 2009

Trivialities

Lately I've been pondering what exactly is a triviality. Dr. Low said there are no rights or wrongs in the trivialities of everyday life, so we should not let our fearful or angry temper take control in those situations.

In the current economic climate, is one's job a triviality? True, work is essential to daily living, and Dr. Low frequently commented on the importance of work. But in the grand scheme of our lives, is our current job really just a "triviality," not something to get worked up about? As I see layoffs mount and businesses fail, I have struggled with this question.

I worry about my employment status a lot. In fact, much of my daily distress centers around my work performance. I’ve been reminded that worrying accomplishes nothing, but controlling my fearful temper has been difficult. Any thoughts or tips from Dr. Low that can help?

I endorsed for writing this post! :)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

G'day, Doug. There's no easy answer to this one, but IMHO it's average for work to be a Strong Link area. Dr. Low tells us to start practicing on Weak Links first--all those trivialities that we give examples on in every meeting.

You could also try reading The Courage to Make Mistakes in MHTWT with the story of the woman who tries to multi-task and ends up with a hopelessly gnarled clothesline. What we need to do at work is an average job, to work for the dignity of the paycheck, to be group-minded, to accept that sometimes we'll make mistakes. Simple but not easy!!!

Keep endorsing, Doug!

Cliff Brown said...

Hi Doug,

Endorse for your post. I would offer these spots: the feelings you are having are average, especially right now in this economic environment so being average, they are not dangerous because other people are out there coping with their feelings, too - they can be dealt with. Taking away the danger is the key thing for me. Also, objectivity - nothing you said indicates that you are in any danger right now. There can be no panic without imagination; humor can cut it in a second. More objectivity is that economic conditions are gradually improving overall. Re. the fearful temper, what have you done wrong? Where are you not reaching the averge standard? You are holding a job and working on your mental health with the Recovery Method. To me, that means to DOUBLE ENDORSE YOURSELF!

All my best,

Cliff Brown

Anonymous said...

hi, Doug, I'm still thinking about your thought-provoking post, including during the reading at my meeting, which was from MFMA (2 parts, pp.358-3731) in which Dr. Low talks about "processing" symptoms. For ex., "Anybody can worry and has to worry about a thousand things. . . [even Dr. Low] Will I let the worry where it stands by dint of its nature, or will I work it up and process it? Will I process it into an anxiety, into a state of despondency, into a state of great apprehensiveness? . . processing (is when) you work yourself up either about a feeling that has arisen, the feeling of fear or anger, or about a symptom."

Anything we can do to replace insecure thoughts with secure ones helps us function better and is good for our mental health.

Have a happy day and keep endorsing for all the effort you're making. And try to process/work up any GOOD feelings that come along.

your Recovery buddy, Pas Une Sainte

Doug said...

Thanks, Cliff and Pas Une Sainte. You raise very good points. Every little nugget of Recovery is a mountain of knowledge :)

Anonymous said...

I had anxiety before, but I got a lot better now, thanks to www.medsheaven.com I HIGHLY recommend ordering from them, they have a section on their website for anxiety pills and the best part there is no prescription required!!! uc