No one wants emotion to be the reason behind eating!
Does the emotion matter?Dear Reader, This is why it's important to understand whether your overeating is triggered by something emotional. You might be wondering whether your eating really is caused by how you feel and whether it matters. Maybe you're thinking, "It's just a habit that I can't break!" But it's important to understand if you eat as a result of feeling bad about yourself, or stressed by something that happened to you. Because if you never find that out, you'll never start to learn to control it or react differently. If you work out what emotion or stress prompts your eating, you can start learning how to cope. And it's often easier than you think! Stop beating yourself up!I believe that learning how to understand how you feel and developing compassion where there is usually self-criticism, goes miles towards helping you to stop overeating. This weekend I went to a Charity Ball. I'd had a cold in the week (that's why you didn't hear from me last week) and I worried that I might be boring company that night. (There's history to this! Last time I went, unknown to me, I had very low iron...) And so I broke my no-caffeine/ chocolate rule because I wanted to be lively and good fun. I realised later that night that it wasn't the caffeine that made me feel fun that night. It was my love of dancing and meeting nice people. And now I'm paying the price. After 3 days of caffeine and chocolate, I'm exhausted, and my brain doesn't work properly any more. But instead of beating myself up and punishing myself with the work I'd planned for myself today, I'm having an impromptu 'transition day'. Today I ate enough chocolate to ease the caffeine headache, but not enough that I'd get a buzz off it. And I have only done the work I find interesting. (That's why I'm writing to you today!) I'm pretty happy and pleased with myself! I'm back on the feelgood track. Phew! What was behind your eating this week?I love hearing from you, so hit 'reply' and let me know. Warmly, Shelley |
Underground Confidence Recovery
Core Recovery from Comfort Eating or Toxic Relationship
Hello Reader, Now's The Time! 10 Questions to Help You Get Control of Your Eating at Christmas What food habits and traditions am I stuck in? Can I let go of any? What prep and planning can I do? Make a plan for what to do around food at Christmas. E.g. Freeze leftovers. What are my resources around food? Make a list of your coping mechanisms. How am I brainwashing myself? "Go on then, it's Christmas" "I'll eat what I want now, I'll diet in January". How can I get support around family...
What is willpower? Dear Reader, This is what willpower is, for me. If you listen to my media, you know I'm always saying that it's not because of your lack of willpower, that you can't stop eating. That's true! (Go back to your first emails if you want a recap of why you can't make yourself stop). In January, the world hits the refresh button and most people decide to give up something unhealthy, or start doing something positive. We get swept along with this vibe. So it's a small window of...
Stress or Loneliness at Christmas DearReader, According to statistics, we eat 60% more than usual at Christmas. There are obvious triggers in our culture for this. But stress or loneliness can be the emotional triggers. The lead up to Christmas can be stressful. Trying to get everything done, hosting Christmas, visiting people you have difficult relationships with... This can all trigger off fatigue, a stress response or bad memories. So, it’s normal to feel frazzled at this time of year....