Feelings

Feelings - they can be either suppressed or integrated. Suppressing your feelings means eating when full to the compulsive eater. Integrating your feelings involves feeling feelings that you find difficult or frightening to feel. The following process may help. Take a pen and paper and jot down your answers:

Take a moment and ask yourself: What is my main emotional issue that I struggle with? 

It could be in the arena of relationships, an issue with your spouse, an issue with your mother-in-law. It could be financial or career. It could be health.

Next ask yourself: What feelings or emotions does this emotional issue bring up for me? Fear? Abandonment? Anger? Sadness? Boredom? etc

Now ask yourself: Why is feeling these feelings so daunting for me? What am I afraid will happen if I allow myself to feel these feelings associated with this emotional issue?

Now that you see your problem right in front of you, on paper, reassure yourself that you have faith that you can start to feel these previously suppressed uncomfortable feelings. Feeling feelings is an art, like playing the violin, and you are going to practice this art for it will improve your health greatly. Being practiced at being able to feel your feelings makes stopping eating when full easier. For it is the act of eating when full, drinking or smoking that enables you, consciously or subconsciously, to suppress your feelings. Eating when full keeps you overweight and prevents you from losing excess weight for good.

You are in the process of giving up eating when full and hence learning the fine art of feeling feelings is part and parcel of this process. It is like meditation, to gently be aware of how you are feeling, and then allow yourself to be the non-judgemental observer of your own emotions running through you. You realise that you can be aware of an uncomfortable emotion and hectic, negative thoughts running about your mind and you can ''just be'' will all of that - and it passes. You don't have to run to food when full when the going gets tough emotionally. You can, as I mentioned before, become the non-judgemental observer of your emotions and thoughts until they pass and this passing facilitates integration. 

As you allow this meditative ''gap'' so to speak between ''you'' and your ''emotions and thoughts'' you are allowing the space for new, positive answers to old dilemmas. You are allowing new and positive perspectives to emerge. And you can in that moment also ask yourself - Given the fact I feel this way, what would I like to do now? If the answer is positive and healthy then get busy doing it.

For further information on Sofia's group and one to one Zoom, Skype and facebook video call sessions then email Sofia2227@gmail.com or text 07530 531 655

www.sofiabothwell.co.uk

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