Serious, great points. High standards motivate us, but they also cause us to beat ourselves up quite a bit.

Johnny B. Truants last blog post..Grandmother well, not dropping hairballs

It is tricky but it can be done though. You don’t have to get in to that downward (upward maybe?) spiral. It comes to the stage of shrugging your shoulders and laughing about it. I mean laughing with yourself not at yourself. That is a brilliant break state and shift changer.

@ Jeb – Firstly, do NOT jump off that cliff. That was a crap metaphor bud because just telling yourself that associates making a positive move in life with potential death. Seriously, think of a metaphor that doesn’t have your BP up around 180/100 and report back. In the meantime, stand in the corner in a pointy hat with a ‘D’ on it.

@ Laurie – Somebody telling me they don’t have issues would have me backing out of the room because they have lots of issues they just don’t know where to start.

@ Tracy – I coached YOU? Er, sorry I think you have me mixed up with another bald, aging Brit living in Florida.

@ Guy – Actually did you not spot the paradox in Rebecca’s response? Check it out!

That TV program sounds horrible and reminds me of people that go on Springer and then looked shocked when they find their husband of 30 years is really a drug-taking, Dr Phil-watching, women.

Yes I am cool and good looking. At least in my map of the world. Did I ever tell you about reality? Well it’s like this…..

Here in the UK we have a programme called “embarrassing illnesses”, its on Channel 4. THe gist of it being that seom cool, good looking doctors travel round the country holding roadshows. Where people who are too emabarrassed to go thier own doctor about some emabrrassing and what they think is unique problem, openly go on nationwide TV, just to be told its perfectly normal, happens to lots of people all the time and there is a nice simple treatment.

Perhaps you could do the same Tim, but with our mental problems “emabrrassing thoughts” perhaps as a title. Are you cool and good looking though, Tim….

Guys last blog post..Conservative Politician in unsolicited advice shock!

It did have a very positive, perhaps unintentional effect. A few weeks ago an old friend told me that one of the strengths in my writing was that I write about all the things that everyone does/goes through but nobody admits. Since I’ll probably always have problems, I’ll always have something to write about and am probably halfway on the road to fame and fortune!

(I will understand if you ask me to never, ever tell anyone that you coached me ;-p)

Tracys last blog post..A List of 10 Randoms and a Blog Reader Appreciation Day Prize

What’s with that? Why am I (and, likely, soooo many other people) such a chump?

Jebs last blog post..Goals FTW, or WTF?

And here’s the twist – once you realize how ineffective that really is, you expect yourself to be able to immediately stop doing it! Which is, well, yet another high standard you can beat yourself up over. Urg!

As you say, 30 years of self-berating is a hard habit to break.