I’ve grown so much since getting clean & sober (823 days) But some days/nights my brain likes to try & trick me by telling me I’m not doing this right or that right, telling me I could be doing better- even when I know I’m trying my Best. I think the hardest part about My sobriety is getting the inside right (my brain) to ease up on the Negative Self Talk I spew without realizing, we all do it. So what are some tips or some things ya’ll say to yourself to shut that down before it becomes a real problem? I’ve taken DBT classes 3 times, a Criminality class, I’ve done MRT, and a Relapse Prevention class so I have many skills I’ve learned along the way to help, but I can learn more from others and their experiences and what they do, let me know how you cope with your Negative thoughts. 
Wow that’s awesome 
Absolutely love this. Reading post like this makes difficult days much easier. This was the spark I needed this morning so thank you.
Wow, you have done a lot, now it’s time to be happy and smile and try to help someone who is in the program and just try to encourage them. You’re doing great though proud of you.
Thanks, but no one has actually answered my question 
I was thinking the same! Would love to see the feedback.
Girl, same!
I wish this app had some sort of post “boost” so more people see the good ones!
Weird question I know but did you grow up in an alcoholic or chaotic childhood home? I did and found relief from exactly what your talking about in the ACA program. You have obviously done a lot of work, great job. I did also and felt like there was a part of my recovery missing until I felt with childhood issues.
Sometimes it’s as easy as telling my self my mind is full of 
don’t listen. Other times I have to meditate more, work on the solution more, reach out to another alcoholic usually helps (and I know these things help and will still allow my mind to say-you don’t want to do that). I have five years away from the bottle and a year less from the snow and my world can still come crashing down mentally and it has. I think now I hold on to the belief that things are not really as bad as my mind tells me they are. I try to change the channel by praying “God, if there is anything blocking me from your spirit, please help me remove it! The disease wants you to believe you are good, don’t believe it. Keep turning to AA and the solution.
So I can just tell you what I've been going through the last few days of only being sober for 6 days. (I've had previous periods over the years as well). It's really hard and I'm sure your thoughts aren't as intrusive as mine are right now. I seem to be getting these thoughts pop in my head when my brain is 'resting', like when Im just chillin. I've been calling them my 'resting thoughts'. They just go wild. They are of using or some negative thought related to using and I have had to consciously just imagine myself throwing the thought over an imaginary horizon. I've even looked out the window as I'm doing it. Like almost a visual where I am releasing it from my brain. Then I have to quickly switch to actively thinking about something else, like look at something to read or directly tune in to something, anything. I hope I can just train my brain this way a little, bc the thoughts I'm having are so painful and damaging to my emotions. It might not directly relate to your situation, but you might be able to take some basic ideas from the concept?
For the most part i had an ideal childhood. Definitely suffered trauma but have done many yrs of counseling.
For me, I’ve been working really hard on my positive self talk. More specifically, I’ll do it out loud. I’ll look in the mirror & say “you are doing a great job. You have come a long way. Be patient with yourself. You did your best today. You are strong.”
It might sound silly to some people, but it’s helped me a lot!
Writing things down like that on post-it’s and stick them around the house
An audiobook I am currently listening to points out that one cannot just stop doing something. There has to be something to replace the behavior. When I catch myself in a negative spiral, I am learning to examine if there is any truth in it. If there’s no truth, I dig in to being mindful and replace it with something I can feel good about in that moment.
Nueroplasticity. Look up joe dispenza on YouTube or Aaron doughty. That’s what I’m working now. Really helps.
I do a lot of that myself. A therapist asked me one time if I would talk to a freind in the same way I talk to myself..nope.. for me sometimes it comes down to the expectations I put in myself. Why can I offer grace and compassion to others but not myself...the brain is weird......
This one is going to be long. I will give you three techniques that I learned in CBT. The first is practicing gratitude and listing reasons for why I love myself. When the negative thoughts pop I try to think about all of the things, people, and times of strength that I am thank for. It highlights when people have showed me love and I have portrayed self love, reminds me that I am worth it despite what the thought is in the moment. The second, is something called internal family systems (google) which is all around how different parts of our personality try to take over and we have to slow things down and find what is called our true adult self. The third is a technique where you write down when you write down specific memories that are associated with as many of the following positive emotions What Are Positive Emotions in Psychology? (+List & Examples) as you can think of. Pull that list out when the negative talk arises and call upon that specific memory in order to draw forth that emotion and realign the mind in self love. Hopefully help, good luck!
There is a book called 12 smart things to do now that the booze and drugs are gone by Allen Berger. Very good. All about how we shape our thoughts from a young age of this person we think we are supposed to be, this perfect example, and when we miss the mark we create this other image of us being a mess up etc....it's all about emotional sobriety. Very very good. Easy read too! It's on Amazon. Also try mindfulness exercises to bring you in the moment and I also like to write out person positive affirmations to read to myself each day.
I am a newbie…day 2. So definitely not an expert, however, I’ve had many resets & I find that what trips me up is when I give in to stress or peer pressure. Therefore, in order to be who I want again (I didn’t have an addiction until about 2 years ago) I use therapy to talk it all out with someone not intimately involved with my life. Another is I replace alcohol with anything non alcoholic in nice glassware. Feeling like I’m celebrating too. I’m a mom of 7, and Nonna to 9, so I spend time in person with them or just text or call. And biggest thing I do to fight my own mind is replace the negative self talk with something simple like “this will pass” or even better replace the negativity with a positive thought I know to be true. Putting your focus on what got you to. 800+ days. And everything else good in life. Music and relaxation (whatever that is for you) are great too. 