Emotional eating – boy, that virus has not helped, has it? Kicks up all the stuff we struggle with.
And it’s so frustrating knowing what you want to do, knowing the result you want — and then something happens, and suddenly you just cannot stop yourself.
That food – whatever it is for you: something sweet, crunchy, maybe salty – or perhaps your food is bread. None of it is bad in and of itself, but it’s not on your plan right now, or maybe you eat too much once you get started. Even though you KNOW you’ll feed awful after and beat yourself up for it.
Add in the virus and quarantine, working from home if you could — or facing the public if you couldn’t, limited contact with others, the children will or won’t go back to school, the cancellations, plus all the racial and political tensions and: MASKS.
You can’t even get a hug to help you feel better.
And we’ve been doing this now for five full months. No wonder we reach for comfort where we can easily find it.
Meeting the Need
So how do we meet that need for something familiar and comforting?
You’ve probably read the common lists – mantras, breathing, meditation, getting a manicure, some way to distract ourselves.
In that moment, we don’t want to hear that. How will deep breathing meet this need, we ask. It seems too little too late.
That’s because we wait too late to try it. We’ve piled up so much emotion, so many triggers going off, holding it together and holding it together and holding it together – all the while letting that niggling idea of your favorite comfort food run around in the back of your mind.
Keys
On Monday, I asked for ideas of what others intended to do to manage their stress and upset other than eat. INTENTION is key.
On Tuesday, I shared how to get the HANG of overcoming those triggers. Knowing what you actually need instead of food is important.
Today, I want you to think about not entertaining the idea of eating to soothe yourself but rather immediately dismissing that thought and getting what you truly need.
I know this is more difficult now than ever, but FIND five minutes – more if you can, but find time to listen to your heart. YOU NEED IT. It’s not wasteful – no more than stopping to put gasoline in your car. It’s essential to know what YOU need to soothe yourself.
If you need help identifying it, working through some of the “Stuff,” send me a message.
