Take a Break from Drinking

I'm talking all about relationship manuals and how we use them as a way to avoid taking responsibility for our own thoughts, feelings, and actions. I'll tell you how your brain will always find something new to complain about, even if people in your life do change in the way you want them to. And I'll share how this tactic is ultimately pointless because you are the key to changing your drinking - nobody else.  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/114

I discuss boredom, what's "wrong" with it, and what it has to offer us. Boredom provides a window into our minds, which is precisely why it's so beneficial yet so terrifying. I'll ask you to examine why you think it's such a problem to be bored and whether you like to be alone with your own mind. And I'll also share some of the benefits of boredom that come along once you get through the initial discomfort of being left alone with your own thoughts. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/113

Listen to this episode as I describe catastrophizing, why the brain does it, how it connects to overdrinking, and what you can do to start changing this pattern. I walk through the process of catastrophizing and discuss the effects it can have on your brain and your body. I also share some helpful tips for raising awareness of this behavior and gently guiding yourself to stop jumping to the worst case scenario anytime things don't go according to plan. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/112

On this week's episode, I talk about how worrying what other people will think is hardwired into our brain as a survival tool. I also cover why it feels like everyone drinks and why it seems like drinking is "normal." Once you realize that your brain is just trying to help you, you can begin to talk back to your mind and create new evidence that will support your new habit of not drinking. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/111

Join me on this week's episode as I talk about why shame is never a productive or useful approach to changing our habits. "I should know better" is a lie that prevents us from practicing new behaviors and changing our brains. You need to leave the judgment behind, put on your scientist hat, and observe your brain and emotions if you want to create lasting change. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/110

Listen in to this week's episode as I talk about how people often use learning as a way to avoid uncomfortable emotions. I talk about how learning often feels like a great excuse for why we're not taking action - e.g. "I don't know enough yet to change" - and how you can shift this mindset. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/109

This is a quick episode but a really important exercise. Join me as I talk about how I changed the narrative around my drinking and realized that I didn't actually love to drink. I'll also share several questions I want you to ask yourself, and we'll challenge the belief that often underlies this pattern: that your life won't be as good if you stop drinking. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/108

Listen in as I talk about how you can shift your perspective on the lower brain and interact with your inner toddler in a new way. I talk about how the lower brain evolved to maximize our chances of survival, but can't really differentiate between good and bad habits. I'll also share how you can start to talk to your inner toddler in a calm and constructive voice that will help you move past all the negative emotions that can come up when you have to resist an urge. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/107

Join me today to discover how understanding the facts around the shift in your drinking habit can help you understand how the think-feel-act cycle fits in your brain’s search for an outlet for the negative emotions you were invariably feeling at the time. You can learn new ways to cope with negative emotions that do not create negative consequences and taking a break is a powerful tool to start with. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/106

I teach clients a four-step response to desire that creates space between feeling the urge and acting upon it. These steps are: pause, listen & watch, neutralize, and travel into the future. Listen in as I walk through these steps, and share how to implement them and how they work with the think-feel-act cycle to help you move past your urge to drink. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.rachelhart.com/105