Comments on: Noisy Gremlins: Please Help

By: ArtsyCrafter

ArtsyCrafter — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:11:55 +0000

You need to replace each gremlin with an angel that says:

1) You can’t do anything to help the people you love. – replace with: If I need to help, an angel will give me the strength to help when it is appropriate

2)You can’t live a cushy life and you can’t keep to a schedule, therefore you are doomed. – replace with: I am free, I am blessed, I have all that I need.

3) There’s no way around your insomnia. It will always suck all your time. – Replace with: I will just enjoy my time asleep or awake

4) Depression will always have it’s hooks in you. replace with: I won’t be a slave to depression, I will do what is necessary and get help to overcome this.

5) The people you feel passionate about could care less. You are making a fool of yourself by caring. – Replace with: My caring and loving others is what life is about, if others don’t reciprocate, they are the ones who lose out.

6) The work you feel passionately about doesn’t want you. – Replace with: I am so glad to feel passionate about something – it’s a gift.

7) p.s. you are fat. Hmm, I have no idea, I bet you aren’t!

8) p.s.s. and lazy. Ditto…you wouldn’t write blog posts if you were lazy!

OH yeah, and look at pretty flowers and things you love, gremlins don’t like those.

By: Monica

Monica — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:53:06 +0000

I have had every. single. one. of these gremlins in my head too. They are nasty, nasty, nasty. But having said that, they’re still part of you, no? And the great thing is that the people who love you, love you gremlins and ALL.

The insomnia. It’s a bitch. Been there done that. Lived in so, so, so, much fear of it. Seriously. Depression too. It all wove together to make for the most awful, fearful year of my life. Healing takes such a long time.

There is NO WAY you are lazy, b/c if you’re anything like me, which from reading your posts, I sense you are, you are doing EVERYTHING you can think of, and are able to do, to kick the ass of these gremlins. Don’t start listing all the things you think I don’t know that you’re not doing …. because you just can’t do them all …. and even if you could stuff like this doesn’t turn around that quickly. Things like these are like the Titanic to turn around. But they will. Now, being on the other side of shit like this, I can see how really hopeless things seemed and how hard I worked to turn it all around. But being in it, I didn’t see it. You are not lazy.

I *love* reading your blog. It was one of my most favorite places to be when I was dealing with my gremlins. And it still is. When I see a post up, I often don’t read it right away b/c I want to save it. :) And read it when I have time to truly digest it and soak it in.

Part of me just wants to tell you everything I did that I think worked for me …. but in the end it’s your journey … and the answer is in you. I think the things that helped me the most in the end were the things that I grew to know about and from myself. If you ever want more ideas of things to try just email me. Sometimes you just need to know that you’re not the only one.

Have you read any books by the Linns? Sleeping with Bread and Good Goats were huge in my recovery.

By: LissaL

LissaL — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:37:12 +0000

Gremlins tell tall tales & will leave you hopeless.
Yet your “soul sistas” know.They can sometimes see & hear what you cannot. (the Truth)So listen to the them for they are wise.
They also love & adore you:)

By: deb

deb — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:11:15 +0000

I came here from Jen Lemen. For most of my life I’ve had those voices inside my head that told me I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t worthy of love, etc, etc. What helped me the most was something called Cognitive Behavior Therapy and a book called “Feeling Good” by David Burns.

I’ve been working on this for two and a half years and I’m much better. I still catch myself thinking negative thoughts and when I do, I gently remind myself that I don’t have to go there. As an added bonus, I found within myself a kind parent who is wise, kind and compassionate. She gently encourages me instead of criticizing. I am not so hard on myself now, especially when I make mistakes. As a child I would be yelled for making a mistake, now I chuckle and gently say to myself, Oh Deb. It’s much nicer.

Here’s hoping you silence your gremlins.

By: connie carpenter macko

connie carpenter macko — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:32:18 +0000

So I ran out to get the BOOK and haven’t read it yet so I can’t help you – yet (LOL) but I will say that you inspire me, and make me smile. You help me by acting as an agent of the universe pointing me in directions I wouldn’t see without you (like directing me to the BOOK. As soon as I read it – I’ll come back and tell you how to shut them up.) If you weren’t exactly where you were, then how could I run into you when I need you? My gremlins say hi to yours! Maybe we could get them to talk to each other and quit bugging us?

By: Lynette

Lynette — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:19:54 +0000

Thanks for so often speaking what so many of us so often feel, and therefore reminding us that we are not alone. Lately I like to think about times when some of my seemingly constant “running on empty” spaces in my life felt full and overflowing…some of those times have been with you. Perhaps you are my brush with greatness:)

By: Katy K

Katy K — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:07:41 +0000

I haven’t read all of the comments above so I am ignorant of any eloquence that came before and I’m also not sure if someone has said this already but here goes – GREMLINS AREN’T REAL!

I’m not being dismissive, I like this statement – I think it has a double meaning. You are using gremlins as a metaphor, so literally, gremlins don’t exist. Also, you are using gremlins as a metaphor, so I think one way to deal with them is to tell yourself – GREMLINS AREN’T REAL!

Since you know me Rachelle, I hope you see why I like this pronouncement and I hope you like it too.

hugs from Katy K

By: kellybean

kellybean — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:54:28 +0000

Rachelle
I am late on the scene
But
Have I told you that I admire your Wild Beautiful Questing Honest Creative self…
Thanks for being yourself
Peace

By: bridge

bridge — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:12:34 +0000

your heart know the truth, listen to it.
go to nature and hear it.
hold your child and hear it.
hug someone who loves you and know it.
listen to your heart.
you are beautiful, worthy and strong.

By: Sacred Suzie

Sacred Suzie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:36:20 +0000

According to the booking “Taming Your Gremlin” you are just supposed to say “I see what you’re doing!” to the gremlin and then go about your life. I personally want to smack yours across the head. May I? None of it’s true. The writing world wants you! I want to read your writing. So there Mr. Gremlin!

By: sarah louise

sarah louise — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:48:15 +0000

Rachelle,

Thanks for airing your gremlins. I just found your blog b/c Tara gave you the award (she gave me one too)

I love love love your blog and will be back. Tell that to your gremlins.

xo,
SL

By: cora

cora — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:03:32 +0000

I love the replies about replacing the gremlins negative messages with positive ones. I was just giving a self-esteem workshop this morning, and I gave your blog credit and told the story about the gremlins! But the important part is to replace to negative messages….and to “reject negative programming”….by this I mean – “surround yourself with people who love and support you” (I think this is from Claudia Black. Maybe your search and journey to finding your soul tribe is falling right in line with your gremlins. I know my “gremlins” get louder each time I take a step towards something healthy. Maybe they are getting louder today because they want to veer you away from the next positive steps you are taking in your life?

Thanks for your inspiring blog – which I read regularly, and have shared with my co-workers. (I’m an addictions counsellor – by day).

By: Tara Eastman

Tara Eastman — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:19:38 +0000

I love the way you refer to that negative voice we all hear as “gremlins”. Ironically at book club we talked a great deal about gremlins this week! Thanks for airing out the gremlins too.

PS> I gave you a blog award today – Happy blogging.
Tara

By: kazari

kazari — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:24:31 +0000

1. You help them by loving them.
2. All schedules and plans are science fiction anyway, based on a possible future we can not foresee.
3. Insomnia is a gift of extra thinking time. Give it a pen and notebook and a whimsical thought experiment and see what happens (sweet dreams!)
4. Depression is the gift of re-examination of all your assumptions. You get to revisit your choices and re-commit to them.
5. Be a passionate fool. It’s so much more fun than being an aloof intellectualiser.
6. Work is patient. Just because it doesn’t jump for your attention like an excited puppy, doesn’t mean it doesn’t want to. It just knows (like an old dog) that you’ll come back to it soon.
7. You’re never as fat as the gremlin that tells you.
8. Lazy people aren’t passionate (see 1, 5 and 6).

By: Rachelle

Rachelle — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:30:01 +0000

Wow! Wow! Wow! Thank you SO much everyone for your advice, encouragment, and most especially for telling me true things. More than once I was moved to tears, and more than once I recieved practical advice from your words and suggestions.

I feel much calmer about the insomnia today (it is what it is), and while the gremlins are still trying to murmur about how I will never get anything done, I’m trying to hold on to the truth that by 9am I’d already done a plethora of things including making breakfasts and lunches and getting in a pre-dawn walk. (So, tthhhhpt to you gremlins!)

I’m sure I will return to this list of comments again and again in the days and weeks to come. Thank you, my tribemates, for holding my hand in the dark.

All my love,

Rachelle

By: Kel

Kel — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:58:16 +0000

i know where you can get these really great earplugs
they might even cut the volume on those gremlins
oh, but then you might not be able to hear all the great things soultribe is sayin’

maybe you can lock the tuner onto soultribe.FM
sounds better to me
:-)

By: Shan

Shan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:46:57 +0000

1) Yes, you can. You can pray for them and be a supportive/positive voice for them to hear.

2) The schedules will come, in time. Besides, schedules are soooo dull.

3) Sorry, just part of the family genes, but only recently is everyone talking about it. *c* we could have all be IM’ing each other at 3am for a while now!

4) It will always need to be managed; exercise, protein, iron, carbs are required for serotonin production (2 enzyme process; the whole body’s enzymatic pathways were “art” on the wall when I lived in CT *c*)

5) No, there is not enough love and care in this world.

6) We are all given a passion for a particular work that needs doing in this world. yea, some days just are bummers, but I look forward to the good days!

7) Whatever! You look FAB!!!

8) Umm…how many dozens of cookies did you make for the holidays? You are constantly busy!

Sometimes, these kinds of negative thoughts enter my world, too. However, I don’t have time for negative thoughts and refocus them to positive; I have Ian to provide and care for! If the thought really just wants to “be” for the day, aka gremlin, I give it a job, like reminding me to take the trash out or wash Ian’s pants (there never seem to be enough…) Laughter is good, too! We are constantly laughing and making each other laugh. Othertimes, I remind myself of how BLESSED I am! You are soooo blessed with wonderful family and the opportunity to bless so many people!

Peace, blessings and hugs to you!

By: gem

gem — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:57:28 +0000

ah, yes, those gremlins are on stage again…stole the microphone from the angels & fairies & earth mommas & healers. no worries, the angels & fairies & the rest of your crew don’t need microphones anyway…there are so many of them! their collective voice & message are loud & clear.
look at that one over there! she’s wearing her “You Are Divine” t-shirt. and, look over there at that one, she’s singing “You Are My Sunshine.” oh and that one waving her color*full flag with your picture on it and underneath your picture are these words: “You’re Our Rock*Star!”
you, dear one, are so not alone…
warmly,
gem

By: Tami

Tami — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:35:10 +0000

I KNOW these are lies… because I know you and well enough to state with sheer confidence that they are lies. How do we let them creep in and hook us? Your passionate work WANTS you, the people you care for LOVE you, the schedule and cushy life are irrelevant, I KNOW you are not actually fat, or lazy. :) Truth, dear, truth must break in here. You are wise, talented, cool, light/hope/inspiration to others (myself included) and a force of powerful beauty. The depression is simply a force that pushes us deeper into the pain that awakens us to true freedom… smile at it and tell it that you will no longer believe it’s lies or allow it’s hooks. It’s a lame attempt to drag you, a person it really wants to hook, down. For without people like you in our world – well, a sad weary place it would be.

By: pen*

pen* — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:13:42 +0000

1. you love them, you already help.
2. you are dynamic and flexible. you are creative.
3. the night is full of magic, time is just a concept.
4. this too shall pass.
5. you make the world a better place.
6. oh your work wants you! (the gremlins are just trying to keep you with them!)
7. you’re gorgeous (i don’t even need to see you to {know} that!)
8. you listen to your body and rest when you need to.

i’m new to your blog, but thank you for being here already.