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elemyy avatar
elemyy
35
2 days ago

How do I overcome this All-Or-Nothing-Thinking?

It is always the same. I want to change something in my life, like start to work at 8am in the morning, but there are circumstances that make it hard for me, like I have to stay up at 6am and be productive immediately, because I have to go to the bathroom, take my dog for a walk at least 30 to 60 minutes and need drive about 30 minutes to work too. This is really difficult for me, even though I'm actually a morning person. My brain can't do things halfway. If I set out to be at work by 8:30, it feels like I’ve failed. How do I overcome that? I know it will be easier to achieve the 8am-goal by getting to it halfway. Help me 🙈

3 comments
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Posts and comments here share personal experience — not medical advice. For treatment questions, talk to a clinician.

elemyy avatar
elemyy
35
yesterday

I tried to get up earlier than 6am, but I need the sleep 😴 I’ve been walking around like a zombie in this time. I need 8 to 9 hours of sleep to feel rested. Normally I get about 6-7 hours what is not enough, but I work from 9am to 6pm (with 1 hour lunch break) and have to walk the dog and drive home. Most days I’m coming home between 7:30pm and 8pm. Then dinner and some leisure time. Between 10pm and 11 pm I go to sleep. I have no clue how to change it than going to work earlier 🙈

Meow-Meow avatar
Meow-Meow
8
2 days ago

Here is what helps me… 60% = progress 70% = good day 80% = excellent day 100% = occasionally happens The skill is learning to see partial completion as completion, rather than as failure. I made up a little ditty for myself about this subject last month … ‘When I feel stuck at either end, the grey between may be my friend.’ 🩶

martin777 avatar
martin7772 days ago

First of all: be kind to yourself 🫂🍀 beating yourself up doesn’t do any good at all! Think about it like that: if a close friend came to you with this issue, what would you tell them? Be as nice to yourself. Second of all: it comes down to being honest to yourself about what’s important. If your 8am goal is impossible with getting up at 6am and doing what needs to be done, there’s two options: get up at 5 or 5:30 am and make it work, or admit, that sleep is important too (which it most definitely is) and accept, that 8am isn’t possible with your morning routine. This decision will help you either achieve your goal or abandon it, and if you abandon it, then it’s not failure, but a well thought out decision. And just fyi: you’re amazing, don’t put yourself down!