Journaling or keeping a Diary
Do you journal? This is a link to 100 reasons its healthy to journal.http://www.appleseeds.org/100_journaling.htm
Emotional eating is definitely a problem for me. Not past tense. It is. Some people think that because I have lost weight I am cured of whatever problem got me morbidly obese in the first place. I am not cured. I have learned tricks to work around my weaknesses. One huge trick has been journaling. I don't only track food but also moods and exercise and whatever else is on my mind. One of my diaries is my healthy club. In a way. I share a lot of personal information and every time I am hesitant to post something that I may think is TOO personal, I immediately get my inbox full of comments from people who relate or was glad I shared because they were wondering the same info for their own situations.
Growing up we were pretty poor. Well for Canadians. In my recent trip to Cuba I learned I have never really been poor. But lets just say I didn't have the brand name clothes, shoes, $, or a nice school lunch. I used food for comfort. That habit isn't healthy. Its a comfort that I started using at a early age.
My biological father was a deadbeat. It was probably for the best as he has serious drug and alcohol issues. I met him on my 14th birthday for the first time and he was a real let down. He promised me the world but never followed through on anything. ANYTHING. I heard from him very sporadically. The last time I talked with him I was playing with toddler aged Amber (my daughter who is now a teen) and I was pregnant with my son, Josh, who will be 11 next month. He told me he would call me tomorrow. He never did.
Of my struggles this is the one that has taken the most effort from myself to get over. I used to wonder what is wrong with me? I know now that I am awesome. I actually feel really bad for him. He missed out on an AWESOME daughter and beautiful grandchildren.
My point is everyone has something they are going through. I used to handle stress by eating. copious amounts. I have learned that the answers to life's problems are never at the bottom of an Oreos bag. Ever.
I started journaling when I was at the beginning of my health journey. It has helped me immensely. I am able to reread my starting point and see how I have grown. I can likewise read recent pages and see areas I am still working on. Ex. I can still be pretty obsessive compulsive with my parenting. Meaning I give myself a daily review in which I am usually falling short in some area. I have a fear of messing with my kids emotionally, the way my father did with me. Even though that's irrational because I am a very present mother. Those are still thoughts and feelings that journaling helps with. Its a win when you can use a diary instead of food (or drugs or alcohol if that's your struggle).
Part of my job is reading others journals. A lot of people are keeping strictly food journals but a lot keep track of their emotions also. It helps, especially for the emotional eater. The pen and paper take a beating instead of the stomach. You would be very comforted to know that your crazy emotions are pretty darn normal. We all have our crap. Its okay. Put down the bag of chips and pick up a pen and paper!
xo,
Di
