Glenbrooke News

Got a minute? That’s long enough to laugh at yourself

The Wt. Loss Minute By Linda Spangle, RN, MA-Author: 100 Days of Weight Loss www.WeightLossJoy.com 

Lots of things make me want to eat. Stress, disappointment, a bad day. In fact, sometimes LIFE makes me want to eat. But nothing sends me toward food faster than pain. I think it started when I skinned my knee as a kid and my mother said,‘Here’s a cookie. Now you’ll feel better.’

Of course the cookie always worked. So ever since then,I’ve had a connection between food and ‘skinned knees,’both physical and emotional. In my work as a weight-loss
coach, I teach others how to identify emotions, then be willing to feel and express them. But sometimes I have trouble following my own advice.

Holiday pain

A couple of years ago, I went through a holiday season that was especially hard for me. I missed my parents who had both died in recent years. Family members were far away and our friends were busy or out of town. Because of a blizzard on Christmas Day, my husband and I decided to create a cozy holiday dinner at home.

With the salad made and the lasagna in the oven, we started cleaning up the kitchen. In our haste to get finished, we both shoved kettles into the cabinet at the same time, and my
fingers got smashed between two iron pots.

The pain was awful! I was already an emotional wreck, and this pushed me over the edge. I sat down and started to cry. At first there were big crocodile tears, the fake kind you get
when you’re actually mad. Then real ones began streaming down my cheeks and I started to wail. Although my fingers were throbbing, my heart seemed to hurt even more.

As I sobbed and wailed, all I could think of was that I wanted to skip dinner and go eat a carton of ice cream. As I headed for the freezer, I caught a glimpse of my husband’s
face, looking shocked and concerned. ‘I’m here,’ he said. ‘It will be OK. I’m here.’

Those simple words caught my attention and I thought, ‘Wait a minute! Why am I letting some stupid iron pots make me eat ice cream?’

Initially, that thought helped me calm down and stop crying. But a few minutes later, the tears started again. I was still upset and now I found myself feeling angry as well.

Suddenly, I turned back to the cupboard and pulled out the sliding shelf filled with pots and pans. Then I lifted my foot and kicked the offending kettle as hard as I could while I
screamed, ‘Don’t you EVER do that to me again!’

In that split second, my emotions drained away. My tears stopped and, as I realized what I had done, I sank to the floor and melted into laughter. My husband sat down beside me
and for several minutes we both laughed harder than we had in months. A short while later, we lit the candles and sat down to our wonderful holiday meal.

December challenges

For many people, the holiday season is NOT the most wonderful time of the year. Instead, it causes us to re-visit the pain of broken relationships, loss of loved ones and lack of
connection in jobs or families. And sometimes, in spite of our good intentions and goals, we reach for food as a way to fill the holes in our lives.

The night I kicked my kettles, I thought about how easily I tend to blame people, events, or even iron kettles for my eating struggles. During those times when we’re hurting or
feeling weak and vulnerable in our lives, it’s easy to think that food will fix the problem. But like my childhood skinned knee, eating is a foolish way to deal with emotions.

Nurturing and self-care

I don’t have any big answers for managing this time of year. I do encourage you to remember that food is only a temporary solution to your pain. The next day, the holes in
your heart will still be there.

So, instead of reaching for ice cream or cookies, gather your tools for nurturing and self care. During the month of December, pull them out and make them a part of each day. Here are some of my own favorites:

* Sit in my rocking chair by the window and enjoy a pot of tea
* Play my piano a lot, especially my favorite holiday music
* Do nice things for people such as give extra tips to restaurant staff

When I go through difficult times, I have to emphatically remind myself that I DON’T need ice cream or other  high-calorie foods. Instead, I need release, comfort and an outlet for the pain. Whether my pain is physical or emotional, I have to figure out how to deal with it rather than heading for the refrigerator.

And maybe kicking a few kettles now and then isn’t such a
bad idea either.

htpp://shakerjardiet.com/index.php?page_id=317

© Linda Spangle, 2009. #1214, Weight Loss for Life, Inc.
5023 W. 120th Ave. #183, Broomfield, CO 80020
Contact: Linda@WeightLossJoy.com
www.weightlossjoy.com
303-452-1545 or 1-800-298-3020

Reprinted at Glenbrookenews with permission from Linda Spangle