Pinpointing Anxiety
Many of us suffer from a vague, nameless anxiety for which we are unable to find a source. We do not know exactly what we fear, but we know that we are afraid. In the past, we tried to dispel this ominous anxiety by eating.
As long as we overate compulsively, we made it more difficult to get at the reasons for our anxiety. Trying to cover it up with food did not get rid of it, and until we stopped eating compulsively we were unable to identify the source of our anxiety.
By abstaining, we face anxiety rather than trying to cover it up. If we are willing to put up with a certain amount of emotional discomfort, we will be able to understand and work through many of the irrational notions that have made us anxious. Our Higher Power allows buried fears to surface as we acquire the strength and faith to confront them. When we are abstinent, we are able to define our anxiety more clearly and handle it with greater maturity.
By Your light, may we see our irrational anxiety for what it is.
From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation
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Overeating makes me feel numb.............it does relieve anxiety, for the moment, but it also prevents joy from seeping into my soul. The food that takes away anxiety also takes away other emotions, even the good ones. After I stop overeating, that is when I feel even MORE anxiety, which leads me to want MORE food, in a never-ending vicious cycle.
Abstinence forces me to deal with my emotions/anxieties for what they are, in a mature and adult fashion. Nobody ever died from feeling their emotions, but many have died from the disease of compulsive overeating and obesity.
When food is used to provide comfort, it is not serving the purpose it was intended to serve. Food is intended to be fuel for our bodies, and not a source of comfort. Using food as a source of entertainment, comfort, fun and friendship for decades instilled some mighty bad habits in me!!! Abstinence has shown me a better way.
Food is not supposed to make us feel good.............it's supposed to be good FOR us. Yet, most of us look to food AS a source of comfort and entertainment. If we are to find/maintain abstinence, we need to find alternate sources of comfort.
Reading magazines, taking pictures, going shopping, snuggling up to a furry animal, watching old movies, going for a drive while listening to good music, looking at things on ebay, reading book reviews on amazon.com., manicures, pedicures, bubble baths, a phone chat with a good friend, writing in a journal, blogging, de-cluttering a room in the house (order provides a great sense of accomplishment).
For today, I will not relieve any anxiety I may feel by feeding it. For today, I will find alternate sources of spiritual & emotional comfort that do not include food.
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