My group asked me if I ever overeat
I told them that I do
I believe everyone has a weakness that comes out when they’re stressed
Some people stutter, or get a headache, or yell, or shop
Many of us overeat.
The difference is that now I see it for what it is:
A sign that something is going on with me
And I study myself in a detached way to figure out what it is.
I never beat myself up about it
Or punish myself with more food
I notice
And then I stop
And then I coach myself
Or I get coached
And then I’m done.
For now.
A few nights ago I went to dinner
There was a lot of tension in the home, which I didn’t immediately acknowledge
Instead, I ate the first and second courses so quickly and so much that I didn’t even notice that the food tasted awful.
The minute I reconnected with myself, I excused myself and escaped to the bathroom
(it’s often the only available refuge and many of my clients use it for this purpose)
First thing I did is stop eating
I told myself I will take ten deep breaths
If I want to go on eating after I can
It’s one of the many coaching strategies I’ve learned
The aim is to calm the storm
Then I named my feeling – panic
And found the thought that was causing the feeling of panic
It was an old outdated belief that had nothing to with dinner tonight.
I reminded myself that “I honour my body”
And exited the bathroom totally calm and connected
And I didn’t eat again until morning.
