OK. I have identified the number one setback warning sign for me. It is definately procrastination!!!!!!!
I had a whole bunch of writing to do this past weekend. Saturday, instead of writing, I got very productive doing everything but! I straightened up my office, kitchen, and bedroom. I did several loads of wash . I mailed staff paychecks, bought stamps, returned a pair of earrings. I even drove my dog through the bank drive-through so she could get a milk bone (Emma is a recovering emotional eater, too!). I watched five 30 minute episodes of In Treatment. What I did not do prior to 4:30pm was write…
As a result, I found myself food-focused all day. That’s what happens to me when I avoid doing what I really need to do and my anxiety level rises, exponentially. Early Saturday morning I fought a desire to drive through McDonalds (huh? I don’t eat breakfast at McDonalds). I consciously challenged thoughts to stop at a local deli on the way home from the bank. By 4:30pm I had eaten three square meals and a couple of healthy snacks at home. There was a time, in the past, when a day of procrastinating would have been filled with numbing DVD after DVD after DVD– accompanied by trips to a convenience store for junk food and pizza delivery to the house, so this was progress.
At 4:30pm, that same day, I got conscious; mindful. I realized choosing NOT to write was a setback warning sign. Then, I decided to sit down and write. The moment I made that decision I could feel the anxiety lessening. My decision to write was driven by a desire to take care of myself. This was a good lesson for me…a good reminder. Procrastination is my #1 setback warning sign. I understand that to be true for me. Therefore, procrastination is a choice inconsistent with the life I wish to lead.
I stopped procrastinating, wrote what I needed to write, and got to enjoy the rest of my weekend…without compulsive eating thoughts! And with the house in good shape and the laundry done, life is good!
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Ellen Shuman is a Life Coach who specializes in emotional and binge eating issues. She is the founder of A Weigh Out & Acoria Eating Disorder Treatment, Vice President of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), and Co-Chair of the Academy for Eating Disorders Special Interest Group on “Health at Every Size”, ellen@aweighout.com
