We are all guilty of emotional eating. Whether we get caught up in the stress of every-day life or we get carried away in the excitement of the moment. With our steady stream of food opportunities, snacks, samples and workplace treats, this is a real problem. So much of these "extras" are high fat and high sugar, which is where real weight gain comes from. These foods are also easy to overeat. Furthermore, these high calorie foods "make us feel better" for the moment so that makes us turn to them even more.
We know we aren't supposed to sit down with a jumbo bag of chips after a long day, but that is not enough to keep us from doing it. So, what else can we do to become more aware of ourselves in the moment and make small changes to manage the emotions? It depends on the situation. If you are going to a happy occasion like a wedding, Octoberfest party or holiday gathering, you know you will be socializing with friends and family waiting to see you. Focusing on the friends, the camaraderie and the fun while steering clear of the buffet could help. What about the afternoon slump at work or a lull in activities at home on evenings and weekends? Again, slowing down long enough to ask yourself what is really happening? Are you bored, frustrated, in transition, procrastinating, lonely, stressed out? Those are feelings that no amount of food can manage. This is where we purposefully stay away from high calorie treats and think about an appropriate response to the problem. If you are bored, you need an activity. Eating doesn't count as an activity. If you are lonely, you need more than Ben and Jerry to keep you company. You need to reach out to friends and reconnect. If you are stressed from work, you need to manage that stress by dumping it out through exercise or meditation or something much more fulfilling.
I have been studying chi gong in order to get my 200 hour certification. Chi gong is a mind/body exercise where the breath links the mind with the body, as in yoga. First the mind thinks something, and then the body does something. In my training, Master Lee Holden talks about the power of transforming negative energy into positive energy. We can use this to help with weight loss and weight maintenance.
What kind of energy are you living in? What is swirling around you? Are you in a good mood, feeling positive and clear? Are you in a negative mood, feeling defeated or frustrated and distracted? Are you in a place of nothing too good or too bad, but you can't quite put a finger on it? Whatever quality of energy in you and around you speaks to you. For example, when you are on top of the world, things are organized and going well, you smile more, pay compliments to others and speak in a positive way about things. Your own energy is bursting, and you are using it for the good. On the other hand, when you are depleted and not getting quality sleep and nursing a sick child, you are running on empty. Your body says--slow down and take a nap. Your mind says--you can't keep this up. Your stress says--eat junky food.
Seeking a more balanced lifestyle where we are aware of how we are feeling, what we are doing, where we want to be going is a worthy pursuit. Seeking helpful ways to transform negative energy into positive energy puts us in the driver's seat. We then feel calmer and more in control.
Emotions are constantly shifting. Whether we believe it or not, we are all emotional beings who feel things from the joy of a compliment to the negativity of criticism. However, as people looking for more good living, more health, more vitality and more confidence, we need to slow down and rethink how we are going to manage our precious feelings and our unpleasant ones. We need to consider how we can shift our mindset and then our behavior so that food doesn't seem like the answer to coping with stress or high emotions. It's a lifelong pursuit because every day is different, posing its unique set of challenges. However, the better we get at transforming negative energy into positive, the more weight loss we can create and maintain. The more balanced living we can enjoy.
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