Chances are that if you're a gal who is an emotional eater,
there is at least one recess or area of your life where you
are having trouble with boundaries. Boundaries can be
physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. They define your
limits and enable you to have more self respect, enjoy win
win relationships and put you in charge of living a juicy
life.
If you notice that you're often running to the fridge
because you're overcommitted and stressed and can't say
"No," don't beat yourself up over it. It's not your fault.
As children, we learn how to set boundaries by what we are
taught by our parents and they learned from their parents,
and so the endless cycle continues. This is called your
programming and it affects you unconsciously by keeping you
stuck in old habits. In order to break free from those
shackles, you have to recognize what's not working and take
steps to change it.
Here are several tips to chew on before you reach for food
when you're not hungry.
1. Pay attention to your feelings. Your feelings are an
indicator that let you know when someone has crossed your
boundaries. By respecting and honoring your feelings and
acting on them with integrity, you will gain the respect of
others and most especially yourself. If you have trouble
tuning into your feelings, it may because there is too much
static in your life. You may need to find a way to slow
down and listen to your inner wisdom.
2. Act as if. Practice mentally saying "No." Think of
someone whom you respect who has no qualms about setting
personal boundaries, expressing their thoughts or saying,
"No." Imagine yourself thinking and acting as they would in
different challenging situations, looking and feeling
totally confident as you reject any requests, demands or
tasks that make you automatically feel guilty, uneasy,
frustrated or angry.
3. Recharge and Renew You. It's easy to feel like the walls
are closing in on you when you're stressed. Do something
special that makes your heart sing, nurtures your soul and
gives you something to look forward to each and every day.
By heading off your stress at the pass, you will begin to
take the edge off of your emotional eating. Take a yoga
class, call a friend, listen to music, cuddle, take a nap,
pet your dog or cat, paint, sit in a bubble bath. Spend
time having more fun. Close your eyes and ask yourself,
"What do I really want"?
4. Seek Support. If you're struggling with being able to
imagine saying or doing things without being afraid of
disappointing others, hurting people's feelings, not being
considered nice, then it may be time to gather the support
of other women who are also working to set better
boundaries. See if you can find a local women's group or
online community that can support you in learning how to
say "yes" to yourself and "no" to others.
5. Learn Emotional Freedom Technique. EFT was created by a
man named Gary Craig. Based on the science of Acupuncture,
EFT is a powerful self help method that works to create an
energetic balance in the body by freeing your emotions. It
is based on the premise that the cause of all negative
emotions is a disruption in your body's energy system.
Simply put this means that anytime you feel bad about
something, it sources back to an energy blockage. You can
release those blocks in minutes and free yourself to enjoy
more living. EFT is effective for releasing negative
memories, eliminating cravings and overcoming fears and
resistance.
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Andrea Amador, CEC, M.NLP is President of The Juicy Woman.
She is devoted to empowering women to love themselves more,
yummy up their lives and lose weight without dieting. Join
her Juicy Woman Forum at
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/thejuicywoman/
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