Great having Two stickers!!!

Have you tried working on the habitual from of control?

Hugs...keep up the good work!

Thanks Nabby! For sure, I find it impossible to stop or reduce pulling without becoming more aware and changing my habits. This occurs via feeling the impulse and simply breathing deeply for a while, or telling myself it's the disorder speaking, or putting my hand down and doing something else.

Also I've been focusing on improving my: self care, self love, perfectionism, enforcement of my boundaries.

I'm finding washing my hair daily is helping to keep my hands out of my hair.

Perfectionism is a big one. I tend to compare myself to more successful individuals and feel not good enough or kind of like a failure. Also, I often create goals that are unrealistic, and todo lists that contain too much for one day. I underestimate how long things will take and then feel guilty/not good enough when I don't finish tasks in time. I also tend to undervalue my opinion and I consistently ask others for their opinions on matters that concern only me! Ha. I've realised all of this quite recently and simply being aware if these traits has helped a lot. I'm trying to be way nicer to myself!

At least you recognize this in yourself, It took me awhile to figure out why I got so frustrated so easily years ago with clutter in my house, and why I got weird when things weren't in there "place" in the house…When I started fixing the tea bags in a neat little row I started thinking OMG I'm going mental!!! Now, I throw a whole box of tea bags in a bowl all messed up in disarray and I don't worry about which way the packages are facing, and I've let my cleaning the house and display items get a bit messy-I even leave my research books in a pile on my reading desk and not clean up every time…There's more to life than work!

Easing up on yourself feels like such a relief….and it is! The process of altering your behavior, your attitudes will change a few times. As you demand less perfection, you'll get more done. Its all about time management. Cool book to check our on this.."Get It All Done and Still Be Human" by Tony and Robbie Fanning. They believe that the real aim in time management is to feel good, not necessarily to do more.

Another thing that I found in my journey on stopping my perfectionistic behaviors is realizing I was using 'work' to block out emotional disorders or to fulfill neurotic needs. Same behaviors as a workaholic! Some people seem to lack an inner monitoring device for regulating the work-rest-recreation balance. Plagued by a compulsive need to work, they deny the existence of fatigue and push themselves beyond reason…Thats me totally!! ( I'll work in the garden and keep working for hours until everything is practically perfect before I drop dead from overdoing it…my husband has to come out and drag me back in the house and beg me to stop!!)
The good news is that we are not crazy…everyone is susceptible-to workaholism. Striving to meet unrealistic expectations. When this becomes habitual, work patterns must be re-evaluated. The work ethic is the culprit. Knowing when to stop and when its time to play and relax-is a more healthy boundary to do work in. Free time is time to discover yourself…when you can make the commitment to life and get your greatest enjoyment and satisfaction. This is where you'll discover your self confidence and stop comparing yourself to others…and value the person that you are…Look at all you've accomplished here on these boards helping others!! I think you are a fantastic person with many gifts..and funny too-(sense of humor!)
Be proud of who you are…Big Hugs….

Aww Nabby! Thank you so much. I think YOU are a fantastic person, you bring a gentle caring positivity to the whole DS community.

Ahh yes, feeling "wrong" if things are messy or out of place at home. My desire to relax and my desire to have everything perfect balance each other pretty well I think! I'm sure I will keep changing over time. Hm that book sounds great! Time management is a big issue for me, and feeling bad about myself.

Oh dear - about you in the garden. I bet it looks great though!

How are you doing? I hope you are getting more smile stickers!

Doing very very well thanks :)

Yes I've now got 22 smiley faces out of a possible 24! 14 of those were zero pulling days. 11 of those in a row at the moment :)

I'm still doing very well.

I'm still rating each day from 0-10 on my calendar.

Not much to report! It's just pretty easy at the moment. Which is really nice, because it hasn't been that way for a long time.

Great job and keep it going because you KNOW you can!

Thank you!! Very true.. I'll do my BEST.

You are doing so well...So happy for your progress!!

Write down 100 life goals for personal creativity. Picking out the most important and most plausible ones, and doing them. There is a very strong relationship between emotional health and the free flow of creativity. Creative concentration endows us with 'intrinsic orientation toward the good, the beautiful, and the healthy." Finding out what you really want--what subjects keep us interested, what we talk about the most and what we find the most pleasure in. If you put some of these ideas into practice, you'll probably find yourself becoming more creative--but there is an additional benefit: You'll notice yourself feeling better both mentally and physically!

Thanks Nabby. That's a nice idea. I want to do that today :)

Hurrah! I'm so proud of you! Yes, I noticed the same pattern (weekends more smiles), and so for Monday morning, I do a happy dance in front of the mirror before I do anything else now. It looks and sounds silly, which is what I needed to break the pattern.

Best wishes!

Nothing is silly if it works! Thanks mid.

Im still doing well. For the most part it's been easy. Most days I do have to resist some (or more than SOME urges). Its weifd how sometimes it's easy and others its so hard. Ah, tge dekicate balance of body, mind, kife, thoughts, commitment and awareness that equals pull free.

*weird not weifd
*the not tge
*delicate not dekicate
*life not kife

Aaaargh im using a tablet and it sucks!