In this column the focus has always been to face and embrace your emotions. It really is the healthiest way to move forward. Today’s editorial may feel a bit “off track” at first but if you read it with an open mind, hopefully you’ll find it helpful and, perhaps even life altering. This article serves a viewpoint for the need of the developmental skill emotional detachment. This is critical when it comes to a healthy diet.
Food and emotions together are a recipe for weight gain. Add these ingredients to this time of year (winter and the holidays) and you’re in a horrid no-win situation. Emotional detachment is the key to your success as you move through the holidays.
Are you wondering how you can emotionally detach from that which nourishes your very existence?
- Dissolve the drama tied to this concept. Look at it as another way to view healthy eating instead of emotional deprivation.
- Lower your expectation of the outcome. This means, if you’re trying to focus on an immediate need to lose 50 pounds, embrace the concept of losing 5 pounds per month instead. This enables your success instead of starting in a self-sabotage mode.
- Start assessing realistic labels to your food. Instead of allowing your favorite dessert (yellow cupcake with whipped frosting) or food to engage a mouth watering emotional response, label it, as it is, a 400-calorie unhealthy fix. It is emotionally stored in your memory as a temporary relief to historic tough times. Embrace the reality that food is not for comfort, it is for nutrition.
- Practice separating your eating habits from your emotional needs. Feed your nutritional needs instead of the emotional ones. For example, if you’re reaching for a snack because you’re bored, find a different outlet for your boredom (read a book, surf the internet, workout, call a friend etc.).
These basic points are truly life altering if you’re a comfort eater. When you feed your hunger in a healthy manner, your emotions are not in the forefront. The message is simple, be sure that your nutritional and hunger needs prompt your meals.
Give it a try and you might actually lose weight during this holiday season. Pretty great thought, huh?
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