// API callback
related_results_labels_thumbs({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2992458009156144390"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-09-27T19:20:45.956-07:00"},"category":[{"term":"Date Night"},{"term":"anxiety"},{"term":"Dating your spouse"},{"term":"Giveaway"},{"term":"Medicine"},{"term":"Mental illness"},{"term":"OCD"},{"term":"Parenthood"},{"term":"children"},{"term":"Black Friday"},{"term":"Christmas"},{"term":"Counseling"},{"term":"Death"},{"term":"Father"},{"term":"Giving"},{"term":"God"},{"term":"Heaven"},{"term":"Holidays"},{"term":"Honeymoon"},{"term":"Lou Malnati's"},{"term":"Marriage"},{"term":"Mom guilt"},{"term":"Motherhood"},{"term":"Newtown"},{"term":"Poetry"},{"term":"Postpartum depression"},{"term":"Shootings"},{"term":"Thanksgiving"},{"term":"Virgin Gorda"},{"term":"Weight loss"},{"term":"dating with kids"},{"term":"kids"},{"term":"life"},{"term":"poverty"},{"term":"romantic"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"megan cordell"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.megancordell.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2992458009156144390\/posts\/default\/-\/Postpartum+depression?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=5"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.megancordell.com\/search\/label\/Postpartum%20depression"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"meg"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/09546619783461331433"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"29","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEilQL7twZTeVtE2hJkjT88LZPQZSB1wEGnttPaiLX5oQi6DHVW6PZqsK_RqoE5he6wtRnoJ2sOFfSSvWC0JvjaPm7nZ_t83cfPF5OkdtPC8Q5BLSgPfSTDQJDAMTZrXcQ\/s220\/IMG_5218.jpg"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"5"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2992458009156144390.post-2748775109374267791"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-21T12:01:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-02-21T12:01:33.559-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Counseling"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OCD"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Postpartum depression"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Touchy Topic Tuesday:  A thought or feeling?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EThis might only be relevant to a few of you, and it is very difficult to explain, but here goes.\u0026nbsp; (not a great way to start a blog post, if you ask me...)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EI've been going to counseling lately, which has been extremely helpful even within the first three to four sessions thus far (counselor:\u0026nbsp; if you are reading this, be encouraged).\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EThis last session was very meaty, and I left with a lot to chew on.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EI confessed to him that even though I have gotten rid of most of the OCD rituals in my life, there are still periods throughout the day where I can't do certain things because they do not \"feel\" right and thereby am lapsing into destructive mind patterns (meaning, OCD thought processes).\u0026nbsp; I gave an example of when I get out of bed, I feel the need to turn a certain way (yes, literally turn my body), otherwise I will have to live with an unattached feeling of dread.\u0026nbsp; Or when I lay down, if I feel like one side of my body is 'heavier' than the other so I need to turn over.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EBut my counselor posed a question that has challenged me:\u0026nbsp; are those 'feelings,' or are they just thoughts?\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EI used to wash my hands 30 to 40 times per day because I had a 'feeling' they were dirty.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EI to this day rush through green lights because if I am halfway through an intersection when it turns yellow, I have a 'feeling' that something bad will happen to me.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EOh, and a common one that I think many women can relate to:\u0026nbsp; if the house is not picked up after the kids go to bed, I don't 'feel' like I can relax.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EWhat my counselor challenged was my response to each of these, and many more, scenarios.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EIs it a feeling, or is it a thought?\u0026nbsp; There is no logical connection between this feeling and this thought.\u0026nbsp; Not doing things a certain way certainly poses no immediate, or even long-term, threat in rational-land.\u0026nbsp; But that's the problem:\u0026nbsp; I operate mostly in the irrational.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EI often attach unnecessary emotion to random thoughts that I have, and irrationally tag on rules to them.\u0026nbsp; It is literally a nightmare, sometimes.\u0026nbsp; It is my automatic response, by the way.\u0026nbsp; This isn't something I choose to do.\u0026nbsp; It's not a light switch I can turn on and off.\u0026nbsp; When people tell me, \"Just don't think about that,\" or \"don't worry about it,\" it doesn't compute.\u0026nbsp; It's like I don't understand that.\u0026nbsp; I am literally relearning and retraining my brain how to think, and I know this is a long, tedious, and frustrating process.\u0026nbsp; I'm not saying it is impossible to overcome.\u0026nbsp; In fact, I am determined.\u0026nbsp; This is no way to live.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EAm I making sense to anyone here? \u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EOf course, I also tend to think in dichotomous terms:\u0026nbsp; it's either this, or this.\u0026nbsp; Perhaps it's a spectrum.\u0026nbsp; Whatever it is, though, mine is askew.\u0026nbsp; Whatever perceptions I have that help me to interpret life and understand how things work around me are off.\u0026nbsp; That is what I'm hoping to learn in counseling, to discern.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EI think some women with postpartum issues definitely get the whole thoughts\/feelings all mixed up.\u0026nbsp; A thought comes into their mind to harm their baby, and it 'feels' like an urge, therefore they come down hard on themselves, \"How could you ever think such a thing!\"\u0026nbsp; Or questioning why those thoughts feel so strong.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EMy husband and I have a practice for my anxiety, and it is that I speak out loud the things I am feeling\/thinking, and they tend to lose power.\u0026nbsp; No matter how awful it sounds, I tell him.\u0026nbsp; And my anxiety lessens because I believe that letting it fester inside the mind gives these thoughts inappropriate power, and by confessing them to someone, they lose their hold and are put in proper place.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Courier New\u0026quot;,Courier,monospace;\"\u003EWhew, this is a deep subject.\u0026nbsp; I am going to continue to explore this.\u0026nbsp; It still amazes me that I don't completely understand myself after all these years, and I am learning new things and ways to cope. \u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.megancordell.com\/feeds\/2748775109374267791\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.megancordell.com\/2012\/02\/touchy-topic-tuesday-thought-or-feeling.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2992458009156144390\/posts\/default\/2748775109374267791"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2992458009156144390\/posts\/default\/2748775109374267791"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.megancordell.com\/2012\/02\/touchy-topic-tuesday-thought-or-feeling.html","title":"Touchy Topic Tuesday:  A thought or feeling?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"meg"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/09546619783461331433"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"29","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEilQL7twZTeVtE2hJkjT88LZPQZSB1wEGnttPaiLX5oQi6DHVW6PZqsK_RqoE5he6wtRnoJ2sOFfSSvWC0JvjaPm7nZ_t83cfPF5OkdtPC8Q5BLSgPfSTDQJDAMTZrXcQ\/s220\/IMG_5218.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}}]}});