Am I hungry. If so eat something even a candy. My blood sugar may be low. Maybe I need a meal. Make a sandwich. Have some soup. Stop at a diner.
Am I angry? Maybe address it. Resentment is taking poison and hoping the other person will die. What is my part in it. How can I change myself. What can I learn for the future. Can I move on. Dealing with the physical frustration of anger is best done with aerobic exercise. Also dance. Tai Chi. Yoga. Meditation or prayer. Talk to a friend, counsellor, mentor. Move on. Do, don’t stew.
Am I lonely? If so reach out to someone. If I can’t actually pick up the phone, go out side. Inside alone with yourself you are with someone crazy. Misery loves company. Share. Outside you are with birds and nature and walking among other people. You don’t have to hug a stranger. Being with others you realize you’re not a lone but rather there’s a community a tribe you are apart of. You can even find positive people in all manner of activities outside. If it’s a recurrent thing get a plant. Talk to it. Give it a name. Plants like heavy metal music. They like attention. A goldfish is even more responsive. I knew people who have acquired spiders or reptiles. It’s better than narcissism. Commonly a bird, a cat or dog will fill the bill. Then you are caring for someone other than yourself. You might even volunteer. Visiting the elderly in retirement centers. Visiting dog shelters. Being a foster parent to a pet. Joining a choir. Or a club. There are countless options to get out of yourself. You can even date, get married, have a family, raise children. The whole catastrophe, to quote Zorba. But it’s better than being alone and lonely. Humans are herd animals whatever intellectuals might try to tell you differently. Get out of yourself. Or at least out of your room. Do it.
Am I tired? Maybe all you need is a nap and you’ll fear better. So much one worries about at night is better in the morning. There’s a lot to be said about a new day. Consider you may just be feeling tiredness. You’re overworked, too stressed and need a rest. Maybe you need twelve hours of rest and have to turn off all the electronics and phone and sleep. Rest is healing. It helps recovery. It’s a start. Do it.
HALT has helped thousands of people over come all manner of addictions. It’s worked for alcoholism and drug addiction. The desire arises because it was an easy distraction in the past. It’s became a habit to have a smoke, a drink or gamble on the internet, use porn or shop. You don’t have to . Say HALT and work through the acronym. The more you try it the more powerful it becomes. Establishing a new positive habit is always baby steps. Start with HALT and break the knee jerk response to do what you used to do. It really doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing whatever it was you no longer like. We can change and adapt. That was then. This is now. Start today.
ODAAT is the acronym for one day at a time. It was found in 12 step programs and by others that when you want to change it is best to focus on the present, on now and make the change for today. Tomorrow is yet to come. Be present. Baby steps. Make an effort today and each day you will go a little further forward. It’s not necessarily a straight path. It’s often two steps forward one step back. But finally you will be going in the right direction. Slowly at first then it picks up and you’ll be rocketed to a new dimension as one famous fellow of chance once said. You don’t have to take the elevator to the bottom floor. You can get off wherever and whenever you want. Then you’re on the up elevator. Don’t look back. Keep picking yourself up and going forward. It takes a little time but then it’s a whole lot better. You’re no longer doing the same old or going in circles or beating yourself up. Instead you’re moving forward. You’re making the change you want becoming the person you want to be. You’ve dropped the rock and feel lighter and free. That’s the direction you want to go. So do it.
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