Thinking and Behaviors

Posted by Jeannie Delahunt Dec 3, 2008

When I was a substance abuse counselor, one of the core treatment areas was to address thoughts, thought patterns and internal beliefs. The reason, how we view the world holds a great deal of weight (I love puns) in terms of how we act.

If we give ourselves a low opinion of ourselves it will radiate in every decision we make in every facet of our lives. For instance, I have learned not to make any kind of important decision when I am depressed, angry or sad, because I end up regretting it, which only worsens matters. If a decision has to be made, I enlist the help of someone whose judgment I trust.

The world of weight loss or gain is not excluded. For myself, I am an emotional eater. I tend to binge when I have a great deal of anxiety and stress. I tend to not exercise when I am depressed. It took years to figure this out, believe it or not. Why so long? We are made up of layers. That disconnectedness that I talk about happens. I was disconnected with my internal thoughts, emotions and values concerning eating. But now that I know, I also have developed a series of rethinking phrases to help me get over whatever it is without resorting to binging. Do I always succeed? Let's say, I am getting better at it. Is it easy, ABSOLUTELY NOT! But over time, the practice/discipline gets me through when in the past I would give up. :)

Sometimes the brain and the emotions, even though the emotions come from the brain can be at odds with one another. That is, the emotions are so intense, they contradict what the brain is saying. This is tough, indeed.

For instance, when I am severely depressed, if I buy into it, it only worsens. I have to literally force myself to break out of it. My brain knows and over time has proven true, that if I do force myself, the act of doing changes the emotion. I end up feeling better. I feel better, I don't feel like eating.

For me this forcing is something physical. I either go for a walk or elect to take on a project. I execute it in small steps. With the completion of each step, I step back and say. "That's done!" There is a sense of accomplishment which lightens the emotion. After another step, I do the same thing. Before I know it, I have finished what I set out to do. The activity plus the reflection lightens the emotion, sometimes, takes the negative emotion away completely. Consequently, I lose the desire to eat for comfort.

Everyone is different. Each one has to find their own techniques. Today, I hope you find yours! :)

Have a great day! J.