Keep the blog posts coming. 8 days sober, and it's a lot fucking harder than I thought. Knowing what was going through your head where I'm at, it helps. As much as this is for you, it helps us trying to make the same change. Appreciate it
It’s a bit of a mongrel, isn’t it? Sometimes ya don’t know how badly it’s got a hold of you until you try leave it alone.
I promise you it gets easier and life gets better as a result. 14 days was a big one for me, as you may’ve read.
I’m just glad to be hearing I’m helping people. It inspires me to keep writing, which in turn helps me. It’s cathartic and makes me accountable. A nice little circular economy from which we all benefit!
Keep up the good work mate, let me know if I can be of any help.
I don’t necessarily think the fatigue is bad. In fact, I like it. It helps me sleep. Sleep is imperative to routine, routine is imperative to productivity, productivity imperative to mood. It’s very circular. For me not only is it fatiguing but equally relieving. It’s not too dissimilar to drugs and alcohol. You get stressed and in your own head, then you get this overwhelming sense of relief once you write/get on it. One sentence is one beer kinda. The stats can get in the bin. I hate that I cared. But the absolutely do not matter one bit. I’m getting a lot more comfortable with that.
And I don’t even think it’s about metrics per se, it’s more when you put yourself out there and be vulnerable it’s nice to good positive reinforcement and when you have a post that doesn’t do as well as others there’s a voice in my head that tells me “ugh, this was going well, why doesn’t anyone give a shit anymore?”
Also, I’ve been guilty of looking at my blog’s stats and reflecting on why some did well and others didn’t, but I’ve now come to the conclusion that the stat that matters most is: “did I enjoy writing it and do I feel better for it”
I get it too after writing about emotionally taxing stuff. I think reflecting on that stuff requires all of the brains computer power, which why we usually go to a psychologist to get their brain’s power to help ours process it. They ask us questions to get our brain thinking in a certain direction and try to help our brain problem solve. Plus writing about the emotional stuff is exposing us to being vulnerable which causes stress and wears the brain out too. Writing about click bait crap is easy.
Gambling was a big one for me. Seeing mates win on the horses was always a trigger for me. Why couldn't I ever win big? I've set a deposit limit on my Sportsbet account now. And having the extra disposable income for things like running shoes is lovely. I rarely even gamble these days. I almost never go to the club before Eels games. And if I do it's for a quick beer and maybe a roast roll. In the past it was not uncommon for me to give my season tickets worth of money to the pokies before the game. I don't remember the last time I played them.
I can't stand all the betting ads on TV during sport. Mostly because I still get the urge. Last weekend I bet on an AFL game. Missed by a solitary point in picking a draw. Lost $5. I can deal with it now. Before I'd keep chasing to get it back. Now I've still got the rest of my deposit in the account. I'll probably just wait till my mate's horse is racing. I'm comfortable with my level now. And I am confident I won't go overboard even hanging out with mates on the punt. But I still have to remind myself what the alternative looked like.
Some people are just fuckin’ arsey, aren’t they? They don’t tell you what they lose though. I don’t have a deposit limit but I never bet more than $5 at a time. Usually one same game multi on a game of footy and that’s it. I’ve missed a stack by one leg, but it’s literally called gambling. You have to consider it spent and gone the moment you make the bet. I’ve never played the pokies much. I think because I’ve never had had a big win in them I’ve never seen the appeal. Lucky in that respect.
Yeah there’s too many gambling ads on during sport and too early in the day. For me there’s so many that I don’t even pay attention to them. It’s like white noise. But I understand it’s more triggering for others and I think advertising rules around it should be much more stringent.
That ability to stop and consider the alternative it so beneficial hey. Applicable to so many things.
My first ever bet on a machine was a day trip from Kapooka to the War Memorial. We had lunch at a nearby pub. Put $1 in a card machine and won $100. I didn't even know what I was doing. In my 20s I did my whole pay day on the pokies. More than once. Vile things.
Keep the blog posts coming. 8 days sober, and it's a lot fucking harder than I thought. Knowing what was going through your head where I'm at, it helps. As much as this is for you, it helps us trying to make the same change. Appreciate it
Hey mate, thanks heaps for the support!
It’s a bit of a mongrel, isn’t it? Sometimes ya don’t know how badly it’s got a hold of you until you try leave it alone.
I promise you it gets easier and life gets better as a result. 14 days was a big one for me, as you may’ve read.
I’m just glad to be hearing I’m helping people. It inspires me to keep writing, which in turn helps me. It’s cathartic and makes me accountable. A nice little circular economy from which we all benefit!
Keep up the good work mate, let me know if I can be of any help.
Thanks again!
I only get triggered when I’m tired. When I’m not, I have a nice big gap between the stimulus and the response.
I don’t necessarily think the fatigue is bad. In fact, I like it. It helps me sleep. Sleep is imperative to routine, routine is imperative to productivity, productivity imperative to mood. It’s very circular. For me not only is it fatiguing but equally relieving. It’s not too dissimilar to drugs and alcohol. You get stressed and in your own head, then you get this overwhelming sense of relief once you write/get on it. One sentence is one beer kinda. The stats can get in the bin. I hate that I cared. But the absolutely do not matter one bit. I’m getting a lot more comfortable with that.
And I don’t even think it’s about metrics per se, it’s more when you put yourself out there and be vulnerable it’s nice to good positive reinforcement and when you have a post that doesn’t do as well as others there’s a voice in my head that tells me “ugh, this was going well, why doesn’t anyone give a shit anymore?”
I agree, but what I was trying to say was that being overtired for me is a sign that my routine is out of whack and something needs to change.
Focusing on stats is a very easy trap to fall into, I've done it a million times over.
Yeah definitely. Especially if you start to identify a pattern. Taking too much not giving enough. Time to recalibrate.
I’m bad for it too. I did it with my running as well.
Anytime I’m outside my routine, my brain has to work harder and I get tired which increases the chance I’ll stress eat
Also, I’ve been guilty of looking at my blog’s stats and reflecting on why some did well and others didn’t, but I’ve now come to the conclusion that the stat that matters most is: “did I enjoy writing it and do I feel better for it”
I get it too after writing about emotionally taxing stuff. I think reflecting on that stuff requires all of the brains computer power, which why we usually go to a psychologist to get their brain’s power to help ours process it. They ask us questions to get our brain thinking in a certain direction and try to help our brain problem solve. Plus writing about the emotional stuff is exposing us to being vulnerable which causes stress and wears the brain out too. Writing about click bait crap is easy.
Gambling was a big one for me. Seeing mates win on the horses was always a trigger for me. Why couldn't I ever win big? I've set a deposit limit on my Sportsbet account now. And having the extra disposable income for things like running shoes is lovely. I rarely even gamble these days. I almost never go to the club before Eels games. And if I do it's for a quick beer and maybe a roast roll. In the past it was not uncommon for me to give my season tickets worth of money to the pokies before the game. I don't remember the last time I played them.
I can't stand all the betting ads on TV during sport. Mostly because I still get the urge. Last weekend I bet on an AFL game. Missed by a solitary point in picking a draw. Lost $5. I can deal with it now. Before I'd keep chasing to get it back. Now I've still got the rest of my deposit in the account. I'll probably just wait till my mate's horse is racing. I'm comfortable with my level now. And I am confident I won't go overboard even hanging out with mates on the punt. But I still have to remind myself what the alternative looked like.
Some people are just fuckin’ arsey, aren’t they? They don’t tell you what they lose though. I don’t have a deposit limit but I never bet more than $5 at a time. Usually one same game multi on a game of footy and that’s it. I’ve missed a stack by one leg, but it’s literally called gambling. You have to consider it spent and gone the moment you make the bet. I’ve never played the pokies much. I think because I’ve never had had a big win in them I’ve never seen the appeal. Lucky in that respect.
Yeah there’s too many gambling ads on during sport and too early in the day. For me there’s so many that I don’t even pay attention to them. It’s like white noise. But I understand it’s more triggering for others and I think advertising rules around it should be much more stringent.
That ability to stop and consider the alternative it so beneficial hey. Applicable to so many things.
My first ever bet on a machine was a day trip from Kapooka to the War Memorial. We had lunch at a nearby pub. Put $1 in a card machine and won $100. I didn't even know what I was doing. In my 20s I did my whole pay day on the pokies. More than once. Vile things.
How good are these things!!! Hook, line and sinker! I hate them!