Tackling the All or Nothing Personality

I've always been an extreme person. It's both a blessing and a curse, but lately, it's been leaning more towards the latter. Either I go out and get too drunk or I never leave the house like there must be a middle ground here? It also spans past that and into the food I eat or the workouts I do. If I don't do a full workout then I feel guilty or if I buy chocolate then why do I have to eat it all?

I'm sure a lot of people can relate and a lot of others may not understand and say it's easy for them to just....stop. I've been doing som researching around about this mentality and there are a few things I'd like to try in order to help me get to where I need to be. I thought it might be interesting to share the tips I've read and to also let you know if they actually work in the future.

What I see it boil down to is two things getting in my way:

-Triggers (foods, events, etc)

-Being in the present

To elaborate on what those mean, the triggers are things that if I get my hands on then it tends to become an all-out bender. In my case, alcohol is one of those and I think to alleviate that issue I'll only drink on special occasions at a bar or restaurant (no more pregames). That way, not only would I be getting something that's actually worth my while in terms of taste, but it's also hard to go overboard when it's $15 a drink.

As for food triggers, I do have a few that I can recognize. Chocolate and peanut butter are some main culprits. I often buy them when making my own protein bars, but since I don't need to use the whole jar or bag, I just end up eating the rest of the jar or bag in one sitting. It's not cut haha. Also, please don't take this as me restricting or telling you to avoid some foods altogether. There's plenty of sweets I still get my hands on, but I know chocolate and PB just awaken something within me that then puts me off the rails and I start to eat everything in sight. So getting rid of these trigger foods will hopefully go a long way.

The present moment mentality is one where you don't worry about the future nor the past and just live in the moment. How does this apply to moderation? Being in the present moment means you're savouring every bite, encounter, workout, without that looming voice in your head telling you you're not doing enough. Living in excess is not being appreciative of what you have. I'm constantly worried about the past and what's next, but I want to instead just think about the now. In the now would be caring about my relationships and really savouring everything rather than hurrying to get the most.

These two methods are what I hope to carry into the month of August. If you're struggling with something similar, I hope this can help too!