Whenever I think of over eating, of losing self control or people that lack it, I think of someone I know and the saddest scene ever imaginable. I realize that he, or people that know him, might read this, and realize who it is if I get into certain details, and since I don't want to embarass him, or make him feel bad since he no longer has this problem, I must be intentionally vague in refering to him (or is it her?!) . The only thing I will say is the scene, when a person discovered him in the fridge, having eaten an entire chocolate cake all by himself. When confronted, he cried, "I can't help myself."
To this day the image still haunts me. I have self control issues, with respect to food as well as other things. With food, as long as I work out, I don't gain weight (or slowly gain it that it takes months to gain a pound or two). However, when I want to lose weight, the only way to do it is to strictly control what i eat (six days a week, on the seventh day, i get a little lax so i dont go crazy). I keep a food log and everything. I works for me, but there is one downside, it only works with the quantifiable.
Another issue I have when it comes to self control is my sarcastic nature. I almost always say something funny when it comes to mind, and it can be hurtful at times. Just as I'm writing this, have I come up with a solution. Whenever I think of something hilarious that is too funny to not share with the world, but I don't want to be mean, I should write it down in my trusty moleskin pad (thanks Abby!) and commit it to a computer file when I get home. Then, when I'm writing a story, script, or whatever, use the joke there. It will last much longer than in just a hurtful memory of a friend or family member.
So I guess the answer is, write it down. Whatever you have difficulty in with self control, keep a log or journal of some kind. The act of writing it down, and keeping track of it, well, things wont change in the first week, but over time, as you become used to it, actual change is possible, until youre used to the situation of having control over your mind, body, and the third thing if you belive in it (not the sole of your shoe).
I always love it when I intend to write one thing, and something else comes out entirely. It's like, well, now my concern is that I could be wrong, that what works for me might not work for you, since this doesn't come from experiance so much as hypothesis and conjecture. I mean, it worked for the food, but I don't know if it will work for the other stuff, it's untested. It'll be a fun experiment to be sure, but before I close this essay I really need to think, what else do I have difficulty with self control in that needs to be helped, and can it be helped through a log.
Well, if we think really hard, we might just come up with the answer. Ngggghhhhh....... huff, huff. Yhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... huff, huff... Fehhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Okay, so i kinda had the answer before the written mental outbursts, but I thought it would be funny, and gave it a shot. Before I forget, it had to do with hobbies/activities. Let's say I thought I should spend more time doing something. Well, if I logged the hours I spent each day (or week), on a particular activity, maybe that would force me to.... well, this idea just kinda works for me, cause of my personality type, I can totally be mad at myself for not doing what i want to do... can you? I don't think so... so let's reverse it, you think you spend too much time doing something, like say watching TV. Keep the hours each day logged, and be like, what would i prefer to do with this time? Did I not get something else done that I wanted to do? Did I not enjoy that time? Do I honestly regret it?
I'm not saying TV is bad, I'm just saying, I think a lot of people say they wish they'd watch less tv, so maybe you can relate to it. Some people are fine, only watching a handful of tv programs, others cant stand to have the tv off. However, this applies to a lot of things other than TV, so think about the stuff you spend too much time on, log it, and after a couple weeks, see how many hours you've spent on it, and how you feel about it. Keep logging, and keep thinking. If you really want to change, you will, and the log can help focus your thoughts on it.
All things American; Banjo, Fiddle, Stetson Hat, Handle Bar Moustache, Kentucky Bourbon, Jazz, and all that shit that Thomas Edison made