"What the heck are you talking about, Propst?" you might be asking.
I'm talking about.....drum roll please......EMOTION!!
"Oh.....of course you are, Counselor."
;) Guys, listen up. This can apply to you too.
How often do you get pissed and you just want to hurt something? An outward display of that hurt. Or, rather than getting aggressive, you just go "lift some heavy shit" ?
Ladies, more often than not, you'll internalize uncomfortable feelings. Stuff them away. And sometimes, and with much guilt to follow, you'll binge eat.
Guys, not leaving you out here, but it's the ladies who tend to admit more often that they engage in this behavior. You do it too.
Here's the deal though. If you are eating to temporarily relieve the discomfort you're experiencing, you're ultimately just putting on a mask, ignoring yourself, saying "leave me alone" or "don't bother me with this mess". And a mess it certainly becomes when the guilt and shame ensues after the binge, when your weight goes up, when you can't meet your goals.
You have to allow yourself to feel the feeling. As awful as it may seem, you won't shatter. Old scripts and tapes playing in your head will tell you that you might. You've developed behaviors that at one time were effective, that kept you safe, that kept you from getting into trouble.....a lot of those are no longer in your best interest or will have the same results. Time to reconstruct. Tear down the walls that are going up when you get uncomfortable. Without walls, you're transparent, open, and a feeling TRULY living being. And how freeing that can be!
If you don't let the feeling begin, it's never going to end. Let it wash over you, breathe through it, and know that you will be okay. Ever cried? Are you still crying? It ended. And I'm betting you actually felt better after you let yourself do it.
I'm not telling you to cry. (If you feel the need though, go for it). I'm telling you to honor yourself. Be yourself. From beginning to end.
