Stop Being A Control Freak

“The closest to being in control we will ever be is in that moment that we realize we're not.”(Brian Kessler)

Intro

Awareness

Patterns

Observation

Self-importance

Perfection

Trust

Attitude

Practice

Accept

Tips

Q &A

Next Month:



Do you have controlling behavior? You’re a control freak -- controlling others and hard on yourself? Joshua Ackerman and his colleagues at Yale University believe that we’re wired to treat other people’s actions as if they are our own. So that being said, if we notice or were told that another person accomplished something by self-control, it can destroy your willpower to accomplish your goals. Relating this into an alcohol or drug addiction

and eating disorder or other compulsive behaviors – when you see or know someone who lost weight or stopped drinking ‘cold turkey’ and you can’t do the same thing, you’re likely to give up.

That’s the topic for October: Controlling Behavior: Stop Being A Control Freak. Here are tips to stop.

Awareness: As with every other behavior, you have to notice when you’re doing it. A good test is to ask people if you’re controlling. Notice when you’re demanding too much of yourself.

Patterns: There are certain times or certain people which will put you in control mode. Notice those patterns because they repeat.

Observation: Ask yourself what control does for you. Are you setting the standard for yourself so you can look down on others? Do you need to keep a tight reign on yourself because otherwise you’ll be ‘out of control’? (this is particularly true for all addictions)

Self-importance When we think that the world revolves around us we, feel entitled to control it. We also hold judgments about ourselves and set really high standards because we fear that others will be judging us as hard as we judge ourselves. People seldom think give us much thought.

Perfection: Being attentive to details is OK, but when you’re driving yourself and everyone around you crazy because of your perfectionism, it’s out of line. You are not perfect and neither is anyone else. Aiming for perfectionism is a losing battle.

Trust: If you have to control a person, you don’t trust them. A secure person can ‘live and let live’.

Attitude: Change your attitude. Understanding others as well as yourself is more important than control. – If you’re too hard on yourself, it will affect your health. If you’re hard on others, this can result in an

abusive relationship

Practice: Like everything else changing behavior takes time -- and you have to practice. Copy these tips on the post it so you can refer to them. Practice, practice, practice – the more you practice the more you change.

Accept: If someone stops drinking ‘cold turkey’ and you’ve had difficulty, don’t give up. It may be good for them but not you. Accept yourself the way you are and accept others for whom they are.



Tips

Be aware of your controlling behavior – with yourself and others

Don’t repeat your patterns of control

Ask yourself what your controlling behavior does for you

Don’t think others are judging you. Most likely you’re the one judging.

Perfectionism is a losing battle

Live and let live. Relationships are built on trust

Understand and appreciate yourself

Catch yourself controlling and practice the new behavior

Accept yourself and others

If you must be ‘in control’ of everyone, they will start lying or manipulating to get out of your control. When you’re too hard on yourself, you’ll eventually sabotage yourself due to anxiety. Escaping from anxiety is one of the roots of addictive behavior

When you feel you can handle what life throws at you, you are truly in control.

Q & A

Q

We’ re going on a cruise with my son who’s been at Betty Ford Clinic for the past 6 months. We’re taking him, my daughter and her friend and obviously there will be drinking and partying on board. My daughter and her friend both drink and they won’t avoid the bars.

My son has the problem and has got to be strong, but I want to help him somehow. He was a heavy drinker and never knew when to stop. This might be a stupid question, but will he never be able to drink again? Thank you for your help A

Although your son has been in rehab for 6 months, he is still very new to sobriety. No one can make an alcoholic drink, however, your son will be fighting all his triggers to drink and party on this cruise.

Your son has to handle his addiction with the tools that he learned at Betty Ford and only he can do this, however, you can find out if there are AA meetings on the cruise and if there are, suggest that he attend.

If he has a sponsor, he can call or e-mail him and call his counselor at the center if he's struggling with cravings to drink. He has the tools but the 'ball is in his court'.

Right now, for you son, drinking is out of the question. However, many heavy drinkers can eventually take an occasional drink.

I hope this information is helpful.

Bev

Just because you came from a dysfunctional family doesn't mean you have to pay for it for the rest of your life.

There are so many urban legends floating around -- "a fat child becomes a fat adult", "I come from a family of alcoholics, of course I get drunk". Great excuses, but if you're not happy with you're behavior, your not doomed. When you change your outlook you learn new behaviors, which change your life.
You can also be helped to change your behavior with coaching

Try a free 30 minute session to see if it's for you.

Have a question? Just ask and post. Your questions comments and suggestions help others.

What’s New On The Site

Try a codependency test for yourself.

You will also notice words that are underlined in green. These are ad links, based on the underlined word. By clicking on the links, you're not only contributing to the site, but they can be helpful if you're looking for something in particular. And your can also, ignore them.

Next Month

Stop cravings from setting you back.

Stay in touch.

Bev



If you or someone you know needs help changing behavior ex. compulsive eating, sex, computer addiction etc. Try a free 30 minute coaching session Here's how.

If you know someone who would appreciate this newsletter, please do both of us a favor and pass it on.

If a friend forwarded this newsletter to you and you like what you read, please subscribe

Enter Your E-mail Address
Enter Your First Name (optional)
Then

Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you Powerful Living.