When you have a headache, you take an over-the-counter pain relief medication. If you have an uncomfortable emotion, do you take the relief self-medication of emotional eating? For many of us that have weight issues, emotional eating is the result from attempting to change the way we feel. When we feel an uncomfortable or undesirable emotion, we provide relief by emotional eating. Medication has its proper place just as food does too.
You take an over-the-counter pain relief medication when you have a headache. What do you do if you experience an uncomfortable emotion or situation? For many of us that struggle with weight and emotional eating, we self-medicate with food. Medicating with food is an attempt to change the way we feel. We try to alter our mood or emotions by eating.
Diet programs are effective temporarily. How many times have you joined a diet program to lose weight only to regain, possibly a few bonus pounds added in the process? The reason why diet programs rarely work long-term is because they address food and exercise and, at best, mention emotional eating issues. Dealing with emotional eating is the key to overcoming weight loss ups and downs. We eat for a reason. It isn't because we are hungry. We eat to suppress or lessen the intensity of emotions, make an uncomfortable situation more manageable, or just to numb out by self-medicating ourselves with food.
I was in a reception room waiting for an appointment the other day. The receptionist had a bowl of candy coated chocolates. As she was working, she popped the candy every few seconds. Whatever she was feeling, she was medicating herself. She was not eating out of hunger or even conscious of what she was eating. She was zoned out on the hand-to-mouth action of emotional eating. For approximately 15 minutes while I waited, she unconsciously ate the candy. The reason this struck me is because it is a behavior I've indulged more times that I'd like throughout my life.
Do you self-medicate or numb your emotions with food? Do you numb out or escape situations by emotional eating? There are some steps you can follow to stay in control without turning to food to numb yourself.
* Answer honestly to yourself if you self-medicate, escape or numb with food. Can you identify with the unconscious eating of the receptionist?
* Now that you've identified the behavior of self-medicating your life with food, you are aware. Awareness of the behavior and habit is a big step forward.
* With your awareness, when you find yourself wanting to eat, ask yourself if you are truly hungry or if you are reaching for the pain relief medication equivalent of food.
* Next, ask yourself what it is you are attempting to medicate and numb with food. Are you bored, overwhelmed, angry, or feel anxious and need to feel calmer. All of these are common emotions for medicating with food.
* Once you've identified the emotion or situation you desire to medicate, make the choice to move forward without the crutch of emotional numbing with food.
If we are patient with ourselves and sit with uncomfortable emotions, they pass. Many of us don't know that because we haven't allowed ourselves to experience this. Often, we short circuit the process by immediately popping our favorite foods for self-medication rather than feel the feelings.
Just as over-the-counter pain relief is temporary and treats the symptoms of pain, so does the behavior of self-medicating by emotional eating. Get to the source causing the pain rather than the temporary fix of numbing yourself. When you numb yourself, you live a life less than you deserve. A full life has ups and down, joys and challenges. Fully participate in your life without stuffing down your life by abusing food as a self-medication. You deserve more than popping candy as a form of living. Give yourself the best and live the full range of life.
Being Perfect On Your Diet As Set Up For Failure
It's very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you will stray from healthy eating and exercising. You will not be perfect in your diet and exercise program, nor should you be. Success doesn't come from being perfect. Success comes to you from a balance and moderation of healthy habits.It Is About Why You Eat, Not What You Eat
Your weight and body issues don't have anything to do with food. It isn't what you eat but why you eat. One of the problems with weight loss surgery and diet programs is our belief that they hold the answer. If only we can follow them, they will work for us. Unfortunately for many of us, we didn't experience long-term weight loss success. Did we fail? No. Absolutely not! The diets failed because they are not the answer.Commitment List versus Wish List
Do you want to lose weight? Are you hoping for a way of life that includes losing weight, feeling good in your body, wearing a smaller size, and have strong sense of confidence? You can have it. To reach any goal, you need to be committed. To lose weight requires persistence and consistency. It requires saying no to food choices when you'd rather indulge. It requires a commitment to your diet and along with a promise to yourself.