Village Journals
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Are you turning to food for comfort?
Dr Susan Mendelsohn
Psychologist
Weight and eating difficulties are often a symptom of an underlying problem that you may be unaware of. It's not uncommon to struggle with this issue if you haven't learned effective ways of coping with everyday stress and other emotional setbacks.
What I'm referring to is what I call emotional eating. This is when you eat to avoid something or to fill a void in your life that you can't cope with in a more constructive manner.
Food will not satisfy your feelings in the long term. Using food as a comfort only provides temporary relief. Unfortunately, after the food is gone, the problem still exists.
As children, many of us were taught not to express our feelings, especially negative ones. It's important to remember that ALL feelings are good feelings. It's a matter of how we chose to express them that will either be productive or destructive.
Feelings are a common aspect of human nature. They allow us to communicate with, and understand, others.
It's a fact that there are emotions that make us feel uncomfortable and unpleasant. Thus, we attempt to ignore them. When we're out of touch with our feelings, we don't know ourselves. We are less assertive. We feel less content and we may find ourselves becoming aggressive. Don?t be afraid of your feelings. They are healthy and good. Let?s look at a way to understand them.
The best way to overcome the difficulty in expressing your emotions is to write them down. Journal writing is as helpful as discussing your problems with a friend or family member. Some of us don't feel as though we want to 'burden' others with our problems. Some of us have had difficulty in the past trying to talk to others and state exactly how we feel. Journals act as our special friend, who will always be there in good times and in bad.
A journal can help in several ways:
1. It allows you to become aware of your feelings.
2. It helps you identify your feelings.
3. It helps clarify feelings.
4. It helps you find patterns of eating and how they are related to your emotions.
5. It allows you to vent your feelings at any time during the day in a constructive manner.
6. Many times we try to hide behind a facade when we're discussing our feelings with others. Or, maybe we're worried that others will be critical of us, or we feel we'll become too vulnerable if we share too much. A journal allows you to be honest with yourself...anonymously.
7. It provides relief.
8. The simple act of writing alone becomes a substitute to eating.
When you're in touch with your feelings, you're a more integrated individual. You are more likely to appreciate the smaller things in life. You're also more likely to enjoy everyday activities rather than finding them burdensome. Further, you'll find that your relationships are healthier and more interesting.
Getting started with your journal writing is simple. First of all, you must know that you can use any medium you choose - a notebook, a canvas (for painting), a diary or anything you can think of. Be creative. If you're using a medium you love to work with, you'll be more enthusiastic about using it daily.
Open the journal/notebook/canvas and write anything you're feeling or thinking. Many people find that a journal is tough to get started. The reasons for this vary, but some feel it's threatening, or too emotional. The key is to begin dealing with all of those feelings and start being true to yourself. If you feel stuck and can?t get started, I encourage you to write that down.
For example, 'I am not sure what I am thinking or feeling right now. I feel numb.' That?s a great start! Next, begin describing the things going on in your day, things that have bothered you, things you're happy about, how you felt before or after you felt the need to turn to food.
Be as open-minded as you can. You may keep your journal with you throughout the day and write in it as often as you like. It's important also to begin writing as soon as you feel the urge to comfort eat. I suggest writing just before bedtime and right after you wake up in the morning. This will allow you a more fit sleep and a more refreshed start to the day. The activity will curb your impulse to eat and the venting of your feelings will satisfy the craving for the food.
Finally, many times it's really something else you're craving other than food... maybe a hug, a pat on the back or appreciation. Using the journal will help you uncover if this is the case. You have every right to ask for what you need from a friend or supportive loved one. You may find this alone will help reduce your cravings for food.
Psychologist
Weight and eating difficulties are often a symptom of an underlying problem that you may be unaware of. It's not uncommon to struggle with this issue if you haven't learned effective ways of coping with everyday stress and other emotional setbacks.
What I'm referring to is what I call emotional eating. This is when you eat to avoid something or to fill a void in your life that you can't cope with in a more constructive manner.
Food will not satisfy your feelings in the long term. Using food as a comfort only provides temporary relief. Unfortunately, after the food is gone, the problem still exists.
As children, many of us were taught not to express our feelings, especially negative ones. It's important to remember that ALL feelings are good feelings. It's a matter of how we chose to express them that will either be productive or destructive.
Feelings are a common aspect of human nature. They allow us to communicate with, and understand, others.
It's a fact that there are emotions that make us feel uncomfortable and unpleasant. Thus, we attempt to ignore them. When we're out of touch with our feelings, we don't know ourselves. We are less assertive. We feel less content and we may find ourselves becoming aggressive. Don?t be afraid of your feelings. They are healthy and good. Let?s look at a way to understand them.
The best way to overcome the difficulty in expressing your emotions is to write them down. Journal writing is as helpful as discussing your problems with a friend or family member. Some of us don't feel as though we want to 'burden' others with our problems. Some of us have had difficulty in the past trying to talk to others and state exactly how we feel. Journals act as our special friend, who will always be there in good times and in bad.
A journal can help in several ways:
1. It allows you to become aware of your feelings.
2. It helps you identify your feelings.
3. It helps clarify feelings.
4. It helps you find patterns of eating and how they are related to your emotions.
5. It allows you to vent your feelings at any time during the day in a constructive manner.
6. Many times we try to hide behind a facade when we're discussing our feelings with others. Or, maybe we're worried that others will be critical of us, or we feel we'll become too vulnerable if we share too much. A journal allows you to be honest with yourself...anonymously.
7. It provides relief.
8. The simple act of writing alone becomes a substitute to eating.
When you're in touch with your feelings, you're a more integrated individual. You are more likely to appreciate the smaller things in life. You're also more likely to enjoy everyday activities rather than finding them burdensome. Further, you'll find that your relationships are healthier and more interesting.
Getting started with your journal writing is simple. First of all, you must know that you can use any medium you choose - a notebook, a canvas (for painting), a diary or anything you can think of. Be creative. If you're using a medium you love to work with, you'll be more enthusiastic about using it daily.
Open the journal/notebook/canvas and write anything you're feeling or thinking. Many people find that a journal is tough to get started. The reasons for this vary, but some feel it's threatening, or too emotional. The key is to begin dealing with all of those feelings and start being true to yourself. If you feel stuck and can?t get started, I encourage you to write that down.
For example, 'I am not sure what I am thinking or feeling right now. I feel numb.' That?s a great start! Next, begin describing the things going on in your day, things that have bothered you, things you're happy about, how you felt before or after you felt the need to turn to food.
Be as open-minded as you can. You may keep your journal with you throughout the day and write in it as often as you like. It's important also to begin writing as soon as you feel the urge to comfort eat. I suggest writing just before bedtime and right after you wake up in the morning. This will allow you a more fit sleep and a more refreshed start to the day. The activity will curb your impulse to eat and the venting of your feelings will satisfy the craving for the food.
Finally, many times it's really something else you're craving other than food... maybe a hug, a pat on the back or appreciation. Using the journal will help you uncover if this is the case. You have every right to ask for what you need from a friend or supportive loved one. You may find this alone will help reduce your cravings for food.