Another one of the 30 day challenge pieces of homework was to identify triggers for bad habits and look for new ways of dealing with them. Here’s what I wrote.
Triggers For Drinking
Often I drink when I feel stressed… life feels overwhelming and I need an escape and to numb out… I need to quickly calm myself so I calm down and stop caring about whatever it is that I am stressing about.
Drink is also a reward for my hard work….
I use alcohol to relieve the tedium of routine.. to rebel against housewifery, overwhelm and boredom…. the drink I pour when I start cooking dinner is all about that. It’s about knocking the edges off my daily resentment too.
What is the Reward?
The reward I want is to calm down, numb out, destress… and alcohol is SO QUICK. Also something pleasant to taste…. a flavour treat.
Why is it just not an option for things to stay as they are?
I feel so upset, sad and stressed… and also angry… and tired. I have a great life and I really want to feel as great as my life genuinely is.
What could a new routine look like?
I need a more structured way to destress, like doing a meditation… or sitting in the garden for a while… or reading a book … or numbing out watching TV… need to get into the habit of these alternatives instead of pouring a glass of wine.
I need to get into the habit of noticing low level stress and being vigilant about not letting it get too bad.
Keeping the useful routine…. I can have the routine of still sitting down with a nice and interesting drink… just a non-alcoholic one…. aha, revelation!
How To Celebrate Success
- Buy some good alcohol-free drinks, spend as much as I did on wine etc
- A meal out with friends…
- Buy a new cossie or some clothes
- Go for a coffee at a nice café AS A REWARD, ie time off as a reward!!
It all sounds so simple when you put it like that!
