That Issue That Never Goes Away

Ever have a personal issue that you can’t seem to let go of? Maybe, it’s that evening’s huge bowl of popcorn or ice cream? Maybe, it is someone’s chewing with their mouth open or not putting their dirty clothes in the laundry.

For me, it was a food binge whenever I was very tired or emotional. It was not helpful for my journey to better health. I tried all kinds of pattern interrupts, strategies, and techniques. I failed and failed.

One day I was talking with a friend and said, “I’m just not emotionally strong enough to stop the binges.” At that moment my mind almost exploded. Wait a minute, that was NOT true. I’m a strong, even powerful woman. I stopped and promised myself and my friend to reflect and journal on that limiting belief.

My go-to question at times like these is, “What is it I need to understand to change my thinking on my bingeing behavior?”

Not too long after that, I had a night when I didn’t sleep well. When I got up, I knew it would be a struggle to not overeat because I was exhausted. Something felt different though.

Instead of trying to be “strong” to get through the day, I canceled everything—no exercise, no work, NOTHING I just moved into a super self-care mode. I rested, napped, and said kind words to myself.

By the end of the day not only had I not binged, but I also had the answer to my question of what I needed to understand.

My answer to preventing binges when I was tired was not to become more strong. My answer was to be more loving, nurturing, and give myself super self-care attention.

My life pivoted from that time on. The most amazing thing happened. Every time I did anything, I found myself seeing it in a new light. It was the light of loving, nurturing, and super self-care attention.

QUESTIONS: Are you using self-care to change those unwanted thoughts or beliefs?

How did this article feel to you?