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Re: Let's discuss alternatives to Emotional Eating
This is a very interesting thread and I have enjoyed reading it.
It is amazing how we can let our emotions dictate how we act, feel , eat, etc.
A few years back I dealt with panic and panic attacks. My first panic attack happened when I was driving to work one day. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt like I was going to die- heart raced, sweating, chills, etc. Well my mind then remembered all these "triggers" so everytime I felt a temperature change, if I was exercising and my heart rate went up, if I started to sweat- MY MIND remembered what happened when I had a panic attack and all these normal everyday events would then trigger my mind and my body would react. My first year after having the first panic attack was spent trying to avoid any and all triggers. So I wouldn't exercise, I wouldn't go lay out by the pool for any length of time (sweating)- it was controlling my life. Between avoidance and Xanax I had become a person that I, my husband, and my kids just did not know.
I was in the process of going back to school to get my Master's Degree in counseling. My studies ended up helping me in ways I could never appreciate until later on.
One of the things that we learned during the studies and discussions is that our minds look for answers to questions/feelings/stimuli. If we don't supply answers our minds RECALL what we were doing, feeling, etc when a certain stimuli was happening. Gosh, I hope this making some sense.
In essence we CAN REPROGRAM how our mind reacts. For example- Panic Attacks- While my mind was reacting to what my body was doing- my mind would then "fuel the fire" so to speak with a fight or flight - If I stopped and started to think "scientifically" at what was happening I was able to stop myself from progressing into a full fledged panic attack.. example- heart racing - okay- why? just ran up the stairs- relax- breaking out into chills- okay why- A/C just kicked on and I have a sleeveless shirt on. Get the idea
I want to eat! STOP. THINK. WHY? because I'm hungry and haven't eaten in three hours- NO -because I am sitting here with nothing to do- YES- get up and do something else- type in my journal, fold some laundry, etc. It's not easy and it actually takes practice but I believe the same principles can be learned when it comes to overeating.
I was able to get over the panic and have been panic attack free for over a year. I know I am going to try apply the principles to my eating and see if I can break the overeating reaction.
This is a very interesting thread and I have enjoyed reading it.
It is amazing how we can let our emotions dictate how we act, feel , eat, etc.
A few years back I dealt with panic and panic attacks. My first panic attack happened when I was driving to work one day. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt like I was going to die- heart raced, sweating, chills, etc. Well my mind then remembered all these "triggers" so everytime I felt a temperature change, if I was exercising and my heart rate went up, if I started to sweat- MY MIND remembered what happened when I had a panic attack and all these normal everyday events would then trigger my mind and my body would react. My first year after having the first panic attack was spent trying to avoid any and all triggers. So I wouldn't exercise, I wouldn't go lay out by the pool for any length of time (sweating)- it was controlling my life. Between avoidance and Xanax I had become a person that I, my husband, and my kids just did not know.
I was in the process of going back to school to get my Master's Degree in counseling. My studies ended up helping me in ways I could never appreciate until later on.
One of the things that we learned during the studies and discussions is that our minds look for answers to questions/feelings/stimuli. If we don't supply answers our minds RECALL what we were doing, feeling, etc when a certain stimuli was happening. Gosh, I hope this making some sense.
In essence we CAN REPROGRAM how our mind reacts. For example- Panic Attacks- While my mind was reacting to what my body was doing- my mind would then "fuel the fire" so to speak with a fight or flight - If I stopped and started to think "scientifically" at what was happening I was able to stop myself from progressing into a full fledged panic attack.. example- heart racing - okay- why? just ran up the stairs- relax- breaking out into chills- okay why- A/C just kicked on and I have a sleeveless shirt on. Get the idea
I want to eat! STOP. THINK. WHY? because I'm hungry and haven't eaten in three hours- NO -because I am sitting here with nothing to do- YES- get up and do something else- type in my journal, fold some laundry, etc. It's not easy and it actually takes practice but I believe the same principles can be learned when it comes to overeating.
I was able to get over the panic and have been panic attack free for over a year. I know I am going to try apply the principles to my eating and see if I can break the overeating reaction.
)
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