Posted by photojenny on March 23, 2003, at 14:15:20
In reply to Re: The War - coping strategies » photojenny, posted by beardedlady on March 23, 2003, at 13:02:18
> If you are addicted to the war coverage (as many of us are) and find that once you turn on the TV, you can't turn it off, try using it as a reward for doing something.
I`m reassured to know that I`m not the only person here with this compulsion. It makes no sense to me; it brings me right down and yet I can`t stay away ... I suppose it`s about being a `responsible and aware`. Maybe.
>
> For example, don't allow yourself to turn on the tube until you've earned it, say, doing laundry, finishing a report, shopping for groceries. Assign some catch-up time with each task; in order to watch more, you have to do more.That sounds really sensible.
>
> I don't watch the coverage. I would rather watch comedy or a soap opera, if I watch TV at all. Lately I'm drowning myself in music--Nick Hornby's new book has a great CD attached, and it's got Paul Westerberg and Teenage Fanclub on it, so I've been listening to that and the Walkmen.I didn`t know that Nick Hornby has a new book - what`s it called? I`ve never heard of Paul Westerberg, but I`m a HUGE fan of the Teenage Fanclub.
>
> But every now and again (about half an hour ago today for the first time), I turn it on to see what's transpired. And here's what I learned: A British plane was shot down by a Patriot Missile; some (10? 12?) Americans took a wrong turn and were ambushed by the Iraqis; 10 Americans were captured by the Iraqis and POWs, and four were, possibly, shot to death; a U.S. soldier in Kuwait threw a grenade in the tents of his sleeping unit, killing one and wounding the others; and a British journalist was killed by friendly fire.Yes - it`s a very bad business indeed.
(except when it comes to overeating--and why is that?)
Why is that?
Anyway, thanks a lot for the reply. I often use CBT techniques when things are really bad, which you may know is about challenging negative thoughts. E.g. if I`m telling myself I`m a total failure as a person because I`m single, I`ll write a list of all the stuff I`m saying (`I`m ugly`, `I`m unloveable` etc etc) and go through and challenge each one. Doesn`t always help, but enough times to be worth it. However with this war stuff, I can`t `reason` at all ... so your reward thing is probably a good idea.
Thanks again,
Anna.
poster:photojenny
thread:211785
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030322/msgs/211815.html