Is it all worth it?

[Mavy]

JA i am sorry to hear about your situation but try this as it helped me with the mood swings and the Physiological Side Effects of AS which are very true and do effect relationships.

There is however a therapy being used by many athletes (due IMHO to increased usage of AS) it is called:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.(CBT)

CBT is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do. Cognitive-behavioral therapist teach that when our brains are healthy, it is our thinking that causes us to feel and act the way we do. Therefore, if we are experiencing unwanted feelings and behaviors, it is important to identify the thinking that is causing the feelings / behaviors and to learn how to replace this thinking with thoughts that lead to more desirable reactions.

There are several approaches to cognitive-behavioral therapy, including Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Rational Behavior Therapy, Rational Living Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, and Dialectic Behavior Therapy.

However, most cognitive-behavioral therapies have the following characteristics:

1. CBT is based on the Cognitive Model of Emotional Response.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the scientific fact that our thoughts
cause our feels and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and
events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to
feel / act better even if the situation has not changed. .
3. A sound therapeutic relationship is necessary for effective therapy, but
not the focus.
Some forms of therapy assume that the main reason people get better in
therapy is because of the positive relationship between the therapist and
client. Cognitive-behavioral therapists believe it is important to have a good,
trusting relationship, but that is not enough. CBT therapists believe that the
client changes when they learn to think differently; therefore, CBT therapists
focus on teaching rational self-counseling skills.
4. CBT is a collaborative effort between the therapist and the client.
Cognitive-behavioral therapist seek to learn what their clients want out of life
(their goals) and then help their clients achieve those goals. The therapist's
role is to listen, teach, and encourage, while the client's roles is to speak,
learn, and implement what they learn.
5. CBT is based on stoic philosophy.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy does not tell people how to feel. However, most
people seeking therapy do not want to feel they way they do. CBT teaches
the benefits of feeling, at worst, calm when confronted with undesirable
situations. It also emphasizes the fact that we have our undesirable situations
whether we are upset about them or not. If we are upset about our problems,
we have two problems -- the problem, and our upset about it. Most sane
people want to have the fewest number of problems possible.

6. CBT uses the Socratic Method.
Cognitive-behavioral therapists want to gain a very good understanding of
their clients concerns. That's why they often ask questions. They also
encourage their clients to ask questions of themselves, like, "How do I
really know that those people are laughing at me?" "Could they be laughing
about something else?"

7. CBT is structured and directive.
Cognitive-behavioral therapists have a specific agenda for each session.
Specific techniques / concepts are taught during each session. CBT
focuses on helping the client achieve the goals they have set. CBT is
directive in that respect. However, CBT therapists do not tell their clients
what to do -- rather, they teach their clients how to do.

8. CBT is based on an educational model.
CBT is based on the scientifically supported assumption that most emotional
and behavioral reactions are learned. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to
help clients unlearn their unwanted reactions and to learn a new way of
reacting. While CBT therapists do not present themselves as "know-it-alls",
the assumption is that if clients knew what the therapist had to teach them,
the clients would not have the emotional / behavioral problems they are
experiencing.

Therefore, CBT has nothing to do with "just talking". People can "just talk"
with anyone.

The educational emphasis of CBT has an additional benefit -- it leads to
long term results. When people understand how and why they are doing
well, they can continue doing what they are doing to make themselves well.

9. CBT theory and techniques rely on the Inductive Method.
A central aspect of Rational thinking is that it is based on fact, not simply
our assumptions made. Often, we upset ourselves about things when, in
fact, the situation isn't like we thought it was. Had we known that, we would
not have wasted our time upsetting ourselves.

Therefore, the inductive method encourages us to look at our thoughts as
being hypotheses that can be questioned and tested. If we find that our
hypotheses are incorrect (because we have new information), then we can
change our thinking to be in line with how the situation really is.

There are over 25 very common mental mistakes that people make that cause
them to not have the facts straight.

Hope you find this useful

Wrongun!

Very intersting Wrongun. Care to share those 25 very common mental mistakes that people make that cause
them to not have the facts straight.

Cheers bro

Mavy

 

[georgie24]

man when i was on i got fired from my steady banking job, fought with my girl everyday, and hated everyone in the house, i still hate everyone now that im off, just not as much....=)

 

[satchboogie]

i'm a single 27 year old, but have my priorities straight.

family is most important...
then comes my finacial income..
bodybuiliding is third..
then come friends.

i think most bodybuilders have the same as me.

rethink your life and repeat this in your head a few times:

I WILL NOT POST OR SPEAK BEFORE THINKING!!!!!

 

[georgie24]

good perception satchboogie..its all about balance.+ when im on gear my priorities are what ever i want at the time, now that im off i can juggle those priorities no problem

 

[Wrongun]

i'm a single 27 year old, but have my priorities straight.

family is most important...
then comes my finacial income..
bodybuiliding is third..
then come friends.

i think most bodybuilders have the same as me.

rethink your life and repeat this in your head a few times:

I WILL NOT POST OR SPEAK BEFORE THINKING!!!!!

TBH Bro it is not priorities it is the way you think things through IMHO. WIth kids they are always Nos 1 th ereal problem is putting yourself last all the time and this causes strain.

The Physiological Side Effects of AS are very real IMHO and need to be given as much priority as with any other side (e.g hair loss / acne)

Wrongun!

 

[sconoscuito]

well why some of you guys waste time with this still doesnt make too much sense to me.. especially if you have time, money and important life that you live. if you are competing or something that would make more sense but why not just do it all naturually knowing it will take few months more to get where you want to get but also know that your not taking any risks..

I do realize some of you want to look good or something similar but like he said is it all worth it?

the way I look at it is like it used to be for some kids in highschool who lets say smoke weed just too fit in with others... It varies but still

I considered doing it to get better then others in basketball at my college but realised that most power is in your head not in pills.

I'm glad i chose that way...


anyway everyones got their own problem but I wont butt into it.


P.S. whats the point of looking big and shit if you cant get it up there when time comes.. or your balls are the size of peanuts

fuck it.. you can start bashing me right about now

 

[Mavy]

i'm a single 27 year old, but have my priorities straight.

family is most important...
then comes my finacial income..
bodybuiliding is third..
then come friends.

i think most bodybuilders have the same as me.

Ya Satch ... I am in the situation as you ... except I have a girlfriend at the moment. I put friends (the old goods ones) before bodybuilding. Actually I think that they are in 2 different categories ... again .... seperating my life from my hobbies. I think that mine priorities would look something like this.

My Life:
1. Family (they are your best link from your past and the most likely to stick with you in the future).

2. Financial Income (dont have much choice on this one when you get a little older).

3. Friends (some come and go ... but my real long term friends are just as important to me as my family).

4. Social Life (girlfriend at the time being - she is a new one right now and dosent make it up to the top of the list yet), and by this i also mean being social and not a closet bodybuilder. Going out and being social, hanging out with new friends and co-workers etc...

Extras:
1. This is where training comes in. If any of the above start to get overly neglected because of my training, then I tone it down a lot.

2. Other hobbies ... I have many, but training is my most consistant and most important one in my life right now. I also love snowboarding, travelling, mountain biking, diving, camping etc... the list goes on. But training is my only full time hobby right now that i put 100% dedication into.

When I am on a cycle .. I have to admit though that things get prioritzed differently. Diet training and rest become religious, and sometimes I will make sacrifices to other groups because I am trying to get the most of the cycle. Example ... going to bed early on weekends (hard for me to do). It dosent bother me that much because I know it is a temporary thing.

Mavy

 

[needsize]

wrongun, great post, I'm a social worker and most of my approach with the kids is based around CBT

sconoscuito, no point in flaming you, your post did it for you. Saying why bother juicing when you can do it naturally, it'll just take a few more months, that shows how little you know about this game. There is such thing as a natural genetic limit, that when you reach it, nothing you can do will let you add any more mass, unless you take steroids

 

[sconoscuito]

to needsize: well like I said you are competing and you look like a serius body builder but from what I've noticed theres just regular people on here who just do it... too look bigger quicker you know.

those are the people im talking about. I know theres genetic limits but I cant really argue with you people cause our lifes are both going into different direction and your goal might be a lot different then mine

all i'm trying to say is that if you have a good life, kids friends money etc. there is no need to jump into steroids right away...

i considered doing it cause I want to get into 4 year and get a scholarship for basketball but whats the point of a 30 year old with a wife and kid doing this shit if at the end his only hurting himself... yes you will look big and ripped but... ok im done I cant even get my point across cause you guys probobly dont even know/feel what Im talking about

 

[Juice Authority]

Dude ... you have to think of your training as your number 1 hobby! Not your number 1 priority in life IMO. Family, friends, work, etc should always come first ... unless of course you are a pro and this is your work.

1 think that I noticed about you Juice, .... is that it seems as though you are ALWAYS on! Everytime I hear you post you are on something it seems. You dont have to ditch the training and juicing ... why not get a plan together and limit yourself to 2 cycles per year. I dont mean 5 month cycles either ... something like 8-10 wks. One fall bulker and one spring cutter! Then you have plenty of time to plan and save up for your cycles. In between ... just train naturally and strive to be the best you can ... spend some time and money on family and friends and those close to you. Then ... when cycle time comes around ... its a treat for you.

"so what good is it to look good, have money, property and be alone?" ... so true dude ... sometimes I get caught up in my training to see the big picture as well (miss out on things because I put training first). Its almost like being TOO dedicated. You have to get your priorities straight.

If you seriously are in a dilemma like it sounds like you are ... admitt to what you are thinking and feeling. Tell your wife that you think that maybe you werent devoting enough time to her because you got to caught up in training etc.. tell her you realise what your priorities are and that you want to change things around.

You dont have to quite working out bro. Try things like training during lunch so that you ahve your evenings free for wife and kid. Train Mon, tues, thurs and fri. so that you have the weekends free for your fam and friends. Trust me you dont want to loose them for a few extra lbs of muscle.

Mavy

That's me in a nutshell. Thanks.