Tag Archive | Stress

Food Addiction and Fa-La-La

Dec15

‘Tis the season for eating, drinking, and being merry. All that Fa-la-la-ing can really shake up the routine. And why not?

Fighting food addiction in a festive season where feelings are mixed, spirits are are high, and food is everywhere can be an un-winnable battle.

In that case, why fight it? What’s wrong with just enjoying the festivities without worrying about all the what ifs that no one can do anything about anyway?

If you’re going to have feelings, have warm, happy ones, and share them as often as possible. If you’re going to eat, eat responsibly.

One thing that is becoming more and more common during the holiday season is the amount of stress associated with all the good cheer.

How about using some of that good cheer to your benefit this year? You will eat, and maybe you’ll overeat–most people do during the holidays. But don’t let old negative feelings drive you to feed your food addiction.

Instead, be light of heart. Feed your spirit. Nourish the best in yourself. Soon enough it will a new year. Save your resolutions until then. For now, eat well, drink responsibly, and be merry every chance you get.

Walk Away From Your Food Addiction

Nov18

Today was anything but a walk in the park. It was no doubt one of the most stressful days I’ve had in a month.

But it was gorgeous outside, so I decided to go for a walk, away from the stress that clouded my day. So out into the Florida weather I went, and off to the park.

I haven’t treated myself to a walk in the park since the time change when the closest park began closing at 6:30 instead of 8:30.

Today I was out walking at 4:30 PM, thinking about how nice it was to feel my energy renewed by outdoor exercise rather than just an afternoon snack that would carry me over until dinner but not give me the boost that walking provides.

Food addictions don’t always leave you. Sometimes you have to leave them. The simple act of walking out in the fresh air can mean walking away from your food addiction, even if only temporarily.

Keep It Simple

Nov1

Life can get so stressed and complicated that little things send us over the edge. I’ve had a couple of those days lately.

It’s amazing how a good night’s sleep–for me that’s 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep and it doesn’t happen often–can bring you back to the simple life where you can remember what’s important and what isn’t.

As a food addict, keeping stress to a minimum is something I have to practice daily. Insomnia has a way of making simple things seem complicated, and complicated things seem impossible.

As a confirmed possibility thinker, I am always on the lookout for things that allow me to bring it back to the center when sleeplessness triggers my most challenging bouts with food addiction.

Today I would like to share a resource with you that can help you simplify your life. It does take discipline but it doesn’t take a lot of time, and if you use it daily, it will keep you on track.

I have taught these principles in my personal empowerment workshops for years, but I think Mark Joyner has distilled them into a form that is easy for anyone to understand and follow on their own. At least, it was for me.

Personal empowerment is both a goal and a tool to help you reach your other goals. We are all teachers and we are all learners. Information is the commodity we trade. Information is the single most critical factor in my day-to-day dealings with my food addiction.

Whenever I am able to share something really empowering that has worked for me, I don’t hesitate. So if you’re ready to simplify your life, you can learn how at www.simpleology.com.

It’s a Brand New Day

Oct29

Every day is another opportunity to learn more about yourself. The more we learn about who we are and what makes us tick, the sooner we can escape from the mental anguish that led us into the world of food addiction.

The secret is this: the way in is the way out. Get inside yourself. Notice and take heart with what you learn. Accept and love who you are.

Don’t psychoanalyze yourself. That will only lead to judgments. Judging yourself or trying to justify a problem with emotional or compulsive eating won’t solve it. That only leads to more stress.

Instead, keep a journal. Observe yourself and write it down. Write down your panicky feelings before you eat. It will change the way you respond to the stress that triggers the panic that fuels your food addiction.

Life does not have to be as stressful as most humans tend to make it. We decide how we feel about things. When we feel anger or despair or sadness, we are feeling emotions. Something is making us feel them. What is it? Not why, but what? There is rarely a “why” but always a “what”.

How do you want to respond the next time you feel that way, which you certainly will? If there is a plan in place, you can be prepared the next time you are caught off guard, like a fire drill prepares you for a fire.

Something as simple as writing your feelings down in a journal before acting on them can mean the difference between giving in to your food addiction and walking away. You deserve a chance to choose a brand new day.