I'm an emotional/stress eater. When I feel overwhelmed or sad I
eat - no hunger needed. I am working on being more of a mindful eater. Paying
attention to what I'm eating, why I'm eating, and when I'm eating. Probably
don’t need food at 9pm.
I am working on positivity,
journaling, and meditation. It's hard. I have a hard time taking a deep breath,
letting things go, and leaving things alone that I cannot fix. I also have
a hard time feeling successful and feeling like I’m a good person (sorry mom).
Some things that I have read
up on and am working on:
1.
Telling myself that it's OK to feel sad, mad,
scared, tired — you name it. This includes those intense feelings of guilt or
anger that tend to follow an emotional eating episode. Approach your feelings
with kindness, and your body will begin to understand that it no longer has to
overeat to protect you from your feelings. Plus, through listening to your
emotions, you’ll discover what it is you truly want, and can create new
strategies for deeper satisfaction.
2. I will make pleasure a priority in my life! Flavor water with fruit,
wear soft, comfortable clothes, take bubble baths. Give my body other ways to
experience feeling good, aside from eating. Pedicures
work too ;)
3. I will eat real, healthy, and nourishing foods whenever I experience physical
hunger.
4.
Discover my triggers and strategize. If I know
I eat when I’m lonely, plan to call a friend or write in your journal instead.
Also, I pack and carry food with me so that I never feel deprived. Emotional
eating can be your body’s reaction to feeling deprived. Stock your fridge with
delicious, healthy foods, pack your calendar with exciting things to do, and be
disciplined about setting aside time for yourself to relax.
5.
If you knew how beautiful you were, you
wouldn’t deny yourself food to try to change yourself. You also wouldn’t
emotionally eat as a release, because there’d be no tension from which to
release.
Man. That's a doozy. Number 5 is the hardest one for me. I don't know why - no past trauma that I know of. I see it in other people. I see beauty in my friends, every single one. I am uncomfortable when people compliment me. I rarely believe them. I can counter the compliment with "but I can't....." or " _____ can do it better, faster, etc".
So that's my summer homework. Doing positive things instead of eating.
This is the summer of working on me. The #summerofstrong
