Dr. John A. King explains how to break harmful cycles using metaphors from his book Deal with It. A colleague gave him a spoon to remind him to stop stirring the pot. The core move: throw the shovel out of the hole and stop the behavior that digs you deeper.
Rogers has a quote. He says, uh, if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you've got to do is stop digging. In, in Deal with It, I talk about my spoon and how one of the back deck crew, um, Alicia, said to me, you know what, John, you're a stirrer. You're always stirring the pot. You've got to stop stirring your pot. And it was when I was going through an incredibly difficult time trying to get my head around how to live with post-traumatic stress. And I actually got a spoon and I gave her my spoon and said, I won't stir this pot anymore. Here's my spoon. She's still got this spoon and it sits on her desk to remind her and to remind me that I don't stir the pot anymore. One of the key things you can do for yourself and for others at this time of year is don't stir the pot. Throw your shovel out of the hole. Don't dig the hole anymore, be it emotionally, physically, alcohol-wise, whatever it is. contain your behavior and manage it for success in this season.
