There is an acronym called HALT that some of you may have heard of. It stands for:
-- Hungry
-- Angry
-- Lonely
-- Tired
When I become one of those things too often or for too long, I'm apt to start eating whether I need to or not.
I know one of the items in the list above is "hunger", but that's normal need-nutrition hunger. What I'm talking about is emotional eating. I've addressed this in other threads, and have just re-read them to get some helpful perspective, because lately I've been eating for emotional reasons again. Of course I don't like it (well I hate it actually), but I always say old habits die hard and this one is like playing whack-a-mole !
I haven't been lacking nutrition (ie. bodily hungry), and haven't been lacking sleep, and haven't felt angry (other than the odd frustration/annoyance). What I have been is freaking LONELY ever since I returned home after being at my sister's and on holiday immediately afterward with my boyfriend. I was with people every day and now I miss it .
It is out of character for me to want people around me so much. Something has changed. I actually think it's good that I want more interaction with others, because I think it indicates growth and it appears to help my mood. But the loneliness feels like crap and when there is no-one around that's where the eating starts. Which only gives temporary relief and has me slowly but surely gaining back the 8-10 pounds I lost while I was away.
It's not the weight (I am not overweight), it's the awfulness of knowing it was only a temporary fix when I have unpleasant emotions to address. Obviously. Which I am trying to avoid. Obviously.
Despite the stress and upset and illness around me for weeks, followed by a mainly sedentary holiday for weeks, I was feeling like the true Uni, the one I like to be, the one who does lots of things and has lots of interests and feels useful, loved, and loving, and who fits the clothes she loves again, and a whole bunch of other stuff....
Which begs the question: if that's the true Uni, who the h*ll is Uni the rest of the time? She is there for a few hours or days or weeks and then I lose her in the shuffle of my life and it is hard to get her back.
I must stop posting for now because I have things that need attending to, but I want to know: Does anybody understand this?!
-- Hungry
-- Angry
-- Lonely
-- Tired
When I become one of those things too often or for too long, I'm apt to start eating whether I need to or not.
I know one of the items in the list above is "hunger", but that's normal need-nutrition hunger. What I'm talking about is emotional eating. I've addressed this in other threads, and have just re-read them to get some helpful perspective, because lately I've been eating for emotional reasons again. Of course I don't like it (well I hate it actually), but I always say old habits die hard and this one is like playing whack-a-mole !
I haven't been lacking nutrition (ie. bodily hungry), and haven't been lacking sleep, and haven't felt angry (other than the odd frustration/annoyance). What I have been is freaking LONELY ever since I returned home after being at my sister's and on holiday immediately afterward with my boyfriend. I was with people every day and now I miss it .
It is out of character for me to want people around me so much. Something has changed. I actually think it's good that I want more interaction with others, because I think it indicates growth and it appears to help my mood. But the loneliness feels like crap and when there is no-one around that's where the eating starts. Which only gives temporary relief and has me slowly but surely gaining back the 8-10 pounds I lost while I was away.
It's not the weight (I am not overweight), it's the awfulness of knowing it was only a temporary fix when I have unpleasant emotions to address. Obviously. Which I am trying to avoid. Obviously.
Despite the stress and upset and illness around me for weeks, followed by a mainly sedentary holiday for weeks, I was feeling like the true Uni, the one I like to be, the one who does lots of things and has lots of interests and feels useful, loved, and loving, and who fits the clothes she loves again, and a whole bunch of other stuff....
Which begs the question: if that's the true Uni, who the h*ll is Uni the rest of the time? She is there for a few hours or days or weeks and then I lose her in the shuffle of my life and it is hard to get her back.
I must stop posting for now because I have things that need attending to, but I want to know: Does anybody understand this?!
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