I love writing this Emotional Eating Blog, “Weigh This Instead”. But in the past few weeks I have acknowledged that staying up late at night writing is just not “self-care”. I’m not practicing what I preach! (For me, lack of sleep is a trigger for emotional eating.)
So I started looking for a solution that would allow me to get the writing done without risking sleep and/or my recovery. I made the decision to [private_membership circle]move my standing Thursday clients into other days of the week, so I could have Thursdays as a writing day.
Yesterday was my very first free Thursday. I was so proud of myself for creating this day! I was so proud… I decided to play hooky, all day! It was wonderful. It was a gift I gave to myself and I don’t feel at all guilty. I needed this day of fun! I planned it and it felt great! At 9am I found a parking space right in front of my favorite neighborhood diner in Cincinnati, The Echo. (It’s gratitude for the little things in life, like finding a parking space, that makes a day even better!) I had breakfast with my friend Debba Haupert, creator of http://girlfriendology.com/and we shared ideas about ways to build our online communities. I left our two hour breakfast feeling energized! Then I went shopping at Coldwater Creek (BTW…50% OFF SALE in their stores and online until June 6, 2010, Sizes uo to 3X). I needed a pair of light weight capri pants for a Memorial Day party. In the past I would have worn full length jeans even in 100 degree weather thinking my ankles were too thick for short pants…or I would not have gone to the party at all. But yesterday my only focus was on finding great looking short pants that were comfortable.
Then I hit DSW Warehouse. I was disappointed that I did not find the type of shoes I wanted in my size, but rather than buying some other cute shoes that really didn’t fit, I decided I could make due with the shoes I have in my closet and be just fine. (In the past, I would have felt compelled to buy a pair of shoes that left me limping, just so that everything matched just perfectly. Matching shoes were a default. If I couldn’t be skinny, at least my shoes should look great, no matter how much they hurt…how crazy was that!)
Last night I met my friend Amy for dinner and we saw, “Sex and the City 2”. It was premiere night. The theater was packed with women, diehard fans. It was a blast (if you’re a Sex and the City fan you’ll love the movie)! All in all, yesterday was a perfect day!
When was the last time you planned a perfect day off? Can you plan a personal day sometime soon, on a weekday or a weekend? If you have kids and no family to watch them, see if another Mom will agree to a mutual swap; a day off for a day of babysitting. There are ways to make this happen! Start planning today!
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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
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