Comments on Cranky Fitness: Positive Thinking: New Reasons to Say The Hell Wi...

Steven: Oh my goodness, I'm so embarrassed! My c...

2009-07-13T08:25:23.214-04:00

Steven:

Oh my goodness, I'm so embarrassed! My cranky half-assed two minute take on ACT of course did not do it justice, and I am sorry about that Scary Picture reference. (I've since seen other pictures that do not look scary at all.)

I sometimes forget that Google can lead people even to silly little blogs like ours, and it had not actually occurred to me that you might see this.

Thanks so much for writing in!

i have negative thoughts at times. but i do not le...

2009-07-13T02:43:31.570-04:00

i have negative thoughts at times. but i do not let them control me i block them out with positivity. Knowing that i create my life with my mindset.

Cranky About ACT Hmmm. Actually we invite our cr...

2009-07-12T18:26:48.189-04:00

Cranky

About ACT

Hmmm. Actually we invite our critics to our meetings; true we do silly things in evening "follies" there but that is just to poke fun at the pomposity inside scientific traditions (including our own).

The stuff about contextualism and relational frame theory etc etc is mostly for the science geeks doing research about ACT -- just like you want good knowledge about the body underneath surgery, but folks going thru surgery may not need all that.

You will be exposed to precious little of that in the ACT self-help world and when we've done research on ACT self-help books (like "Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life" etc) they help quite a bit.

So don't give up on us quite yet. We do have a geek side but you'd have a hard time finding a less pretentious group than the ACT folks.

Steve Hayes (the guy in the scary picture).

Leah, Cammy and POD nailed it, it's acknowledge th...

2009-07-11T03:05:18.542-04:00

Leah, Cammy and POD nailed it, it's acknowledge the though as what it is, just a thought, and let it go. No need to act on it or left it bum one out.

Basically an essential Buddhist teaching, reworked as something new, but it's 2,500 years old. And it works, but the Buddhist source is clearer.

Yup, Uncle fester, but scarier.

"Basically, it discusses research showing that "tr...

2009-07-10T22:18:13.301-04:00

"Basically, it discusses research showing that "trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are." "

i'll agree with that ... but that might be my realist/pessimist view of life.

i'm not so much with positive thinking and instead more with telling my inner critic to go * itself. lately, though, that's been harder than usual. :(

I wholly embrace the power of "this really does su...

2009-07-10T22:09:00.381-04:00

I wholly embrace the power of "this really does suck" and the incredible value of "hey, that didn't suck as much as I thought" I tried that new class at the gym that I was dreading and I came away thinking it was fun. To me cranky = honest. love this post!

I kinda like this approach...things can suck, just...

2009-07-10T21:05:56.956-04:00

I kinda like this approach...things can suck, just get over it and move on. It beats sugar coating the bad stuff. I was never good at convincing myself of that sugary fluff anyway.

(LOVE the pic!!!) I think therapy is a "different ...

2009-07-10T19:47:52.712-04:00

(LOVE the pic!!!)
I think therapy is a "different strokes for different folks" kinda thing. What works for Joe may not work for Jane.
(I must say that this article reminds me of a "Far Side" cartoon about "Dr. So-and-So's controversial cure for phobias" which shows a guy enclosed in an elevator, filled with spiders and snakes, dangling off the side of a building.)

Negative thoughts can be the culprit for a disaste...

2009-07-10T17:57:40.378-04:00

Negative thoughts can be the culprit for a disaster!
I am not a believer in shrink, rather more self care and self love. Getting oneself hyped is the key to overcoming negative thoughts. So what, is usually my attitude when I think of something negative.

I'm with Gina! The older I get the less negative t...

2009-07-10T16:51:07.105-04:00

I'm with Gina! The older I get the less negative thoughts have time to get in my head. My spare thoughts tend to focus on my children in a positive way, rather than dwell on myself in a negative way.

But, hey I still get them! I tend to give in a little and feel sorry for myself a bit :). Then I realise I have 10 minutes to get the kids from school, and poof! they are gone.

How's this: I am positively fat and positively suc...

2009-07-10T16:33:16.162-04:00

How's this: I am positively fat and positively suck at losing weight and exercising!

I think I will stick to my chemicals ;)

I'm a big believer in the the mind/body connection...

2009-07-10T15:45:34.996-04:00

I'm a big believer in the the mind/body connection, so when a negative thought pops up, I acknowledge it, but don't allow it to lodge. I expose the lie, debunk the thought and move on. When it's something like "I'm so slow", or "I can't do this", I acknowledge that I slow right now, but I will get faster with practice or that I may not be able to do something yet, but in time I might be able to.

I suppose I'm fortunate in that I'm generally quite a positive person. I do have to take care to avoid a lot of negativity around me though, because it can really drain me and before I know it, I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders and feeling quite down myself.

I waffle back and forth...I like encouragement and...

2009-07-10T15:41:42.220-04:00

I waffle back and forth...I like encouragement and positivity most times...as I find that you can give yourself a kick in the ass without insulting it. I used to be rather mean to myself when I encouraged myself to do more...now I'm more positive.
I do get a bit annoyed at the positive thinking sometimes though...it just reminds me a bit too much of Stuart Smalley from SNL.
I like the Crankyism...moping, working our for happy vibes and then cuddling up with my gnome and some tea help shake the funk most times :)

A lot of times, well-intentioned people will say t...

2009-07-10T15:33:37.946-04:00

A lot of times, well-intentioned people will say that you have to think positive thoughts especially with cancer cuz they think cancer is caused by negative thoughts and if you think positively, you can cure your cancer and if you think negatively, well, you're so negative, and that's why you got cancer in the first place.
I don't know how I handle my negative thoughts other than to move to THAT exact moment in time and take a breath.

Book proposal? Unfortunately I don't think publish...

2009-07-10T14:40:36.730-04:00

Book proposal?
Unfortunately I don't think publishers accept petitions from would-be readers as proof of "fame."

I am an unreasonably cheerful person, but my BS detector is hairtrigger sensitive, so deliberate positive thinking is not my style.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Great post!!! I love your views (and humor) on thi...

2009-07-10T13:53:22.532-04:00

Great post!!! I love your views (and humor) on this whole subject matter! I have even been thinking about this a lot lately as I read many of the blogs out there & so many people seem so damn happy & have all these ways to get thru the depressions or negative thoughts.

I admit, I do obsess about the negative thoughts at times & other times I really try to change my thought process. The one thing I have learned though is that sometimes all this push to make me think positive all the time can backfire. It makes me feel like something is wrong with me or I am not as good as that other person because they can get think positive no matter how negative the situation which makes me get down on myself for being such a baby & giving in to the negative thoughts.

I am trying to be better about being more positive, but for me, I think it will be a life long process (even though I am already 51) and I am trying not to let all the always positive people effect my own self worth.

I really appreciate you writing this cause it just makes me feel better that I can give in to those "bad" thoughts & not feel bad about it.

Thx so much!

I'm prone to pessimism but I think it's all too he...

2009-07-10T13:03:07.530-04:00

I'm prone to pessimism but I think it's all too heady. If I'm left alone in my head, which is a very bad neighborhood, I'll quickly adopt the Chicken Little outlook.

In the end, I find that two things work for keeping me forward-thinking:

1. Be in motion. Make sure my actions are positive and they outweigh my thoughts.

2. Go to a Muay Thai class and beat the s*** out of something. It takes me out of my head and lessens the importance of whatever negative scenario I was imagining. Intense exercise of any kind is great for emptying the head.

I like the comments... When I was in my 20's, I o...

2009-07-10T11:33:46.365-04:00

I like the comments...

When I was in my 20's, I obsessed. When I was in my 30's, I had 3 babies and 1 miscarriage...so I don't remember much; it's all a blur...except for postpartum depression, lots of junk food, and screaming (the babies' and mine).

Now into my 40's, I don't obsess with the negative thoughts; I know they'll pass especially if I try to sleep more, eat somewhat healthier, go on long walks, and help someone else out. There's something about being of service to others that gets me out of my own poor-me mentality.

Crabby and Merry - forgive me for stating the obvi...

2009-07-10T11:27:15.195-04:00

Crabby and Merry - forgive me for stating the obvious but isn't there an opening for "_____ & Kate plus 8"? Get ready for that close-up, Mr. Demille.

Crabby, have you considered having 8 babies at onc...

2009-07-10T11:08:51.818-04:00

Crabby, have you considered having 8 babies at once whilst starring in your own reality show?

Here's the plan:

I'll grab a camera and follow you around all day filming.

Then, presuming you don't arrest me for stalking, I'll send the video to a television station, where you'll be an instant hit.

Then all those silly people will jump at the chance to publish your book!

Um, I'm having the thought that I'm confused...emb...

2009-07-10T10:55:04.416-04:00

Um, I'm having the thought that I'm confused...embrace the negativity? I've worked to hard to shun it!

P.S. I think a Cranky Fitness book would be most excellent, and obviously the publishers are not in touch with the blog world because in here y'all are FAMOUS!!!

ACT sounds like a rebranding of the philosophy tha...

2009-07-10T10:24:42.634-04:00

ACT sounds like a rebranding of the philosophy that Buddhism has taught for thousands of years: bad things happen, you have to learn to accept that and work at being stable enough to persevere and flourish despite the challenges, or even because of the opportunities for growth that challenges present.

Thanks Gigi! Alas, I recently floated a book prop...

2009-07-10T10:20:18.974-04:00

Thanks Gigi!

Alas, I recently floated a book proposal to a few agents, but preliminary feedback seemed to be "great concept, but whoops, you're not famous enough to publish a health and fitness book!"

Have not given up on the idea, however...

The problem with self-help affirmations is that un...

2009-07-10T10:19:58.745-04:00

The problem with self-help affirmations is that unless they're tailored specifically to the individual, there's a risk of triggering the BS meter. You know (or at least think you know) you're lying to yourself, and that sort of thing doesn't lead to inner peace and contentment.

I do think it's important to halt negative self-talk, but it's silly to take it so far that you don't even believe your own words. If you know you're not beautiful, you won't feel better by telling yourself you are. Instead, find something you can agree with, like "I'm strong and healthy," or "I have lovely eyes," or even "I may not be conventionally pretty, but I clean up just fine."

Ultimately, self-esteem isn't about what you tell yourself, but about what you do. There may be deeper issues that need to be addressed, but a pop-psychology book and sticky notes on the bathroom mirror aren't going to be as helpful in that case as a qualified counselor.

I could much more easily be a blind follower of Cr...

2009-07-10T09:55:16.578-04:00

I could much more easily be a blind follower of Crankyism than any of the other therapies listed here. Write a book and do the lecture circuit, dammit. People are craving this no BS approach.