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unrealistic expectations

How Effective is Your Self-Talk?

– Posted in: depression despair embracing emotions emotional eating mindfulness reducing stress self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-love self-worth stress and overeating unrealistic expectations

Have you ever thought about how powerful your self-talk is and how quickly it can alter your mood? Truthfully, how often does a thought or series of thoughts ruin a perfectly good day for you? How often do you grab something to eat to calm or soothe yourself because of overwhelming, anxious, depressive or shaming

Are Unmet Needs Sending You to the Refrigerator?

– Posted in: dieting emotional eating food addiction identifying emotions and needs loneliness and overeating overeating, dieting, weight loss resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-love self-worth stress and overeating unrealistic expectations weight loss

Does it feel like you're living your life, day-to-day, with many of your needs unmet? Do you think this may have something to do with your overeating or imbalanced eating? If so, you're not alone. Many people, frustrated by years of unmet needs, find themselves regularly turning to food for emotional comfort, pleasure, soothing, escape,

Do You Turn to Food When You’re In a Transition?

– Posted in: embracing emotions emotional eating greiving identifying emotions and needs Late night eating loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments Making lifestyle changes motivation to change habits overeating, dieting, weight loss overwhelm procrastination reducing stress resolving emotional eating self connection self-defeating thinking stress and overeating stress eating transitions unrealistic expectations

The Random House College Dictionary defines a transition as "a change from one position, state, stage, subject or concept to another." Many emotional eaters have difficulty with transitions and turn to food as a way to comfort and soothe themselves during the transition process. Here are some examples of what I call "transition eating": --You

Are You Eating Over Unmet Expectations?

– Posted in: adjusting expectations depression emotional eating greiving hopelessness identifying emotions and needs Late night eating loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments Making lifestyle changes overeating, dieting, weight loss personalizing procrastination resolving emotional eating self connection self-worth stress and overeating stress eating unrealistic expectations weight loss

Jackie baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies after spending Saturday afternoon with her close friend Carol. The time spent with Carol did not feel nourishing.  The two dishes of ice cream and the plate of hot, freshly baked cookies did. Just baking the cookies felt more nurturing than spending time with Carol. Jackie was

Are You Taking Things Too Personally?

– Posted in: adjusting expectations embracing emotions emotional eating hurts loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories recovery resolving emotional eating self-defeating thinking self-love self-worth stress and overeating unrealistic expectations weight loss worthiness

I could tell when I entered the waiting room of my office that Samantha was having a bad day. She appeared depressed--she sat slumped in the chair and she was visibly upset. Her mascara was running and she looked like she had been crying. Unlike times when she was more upbeat, she was not distracting herself with her phone

Self-Doubt and Overeating: What’s the Connection?

– Posted in: adjusting expectations compassion depression embracing emotions emotional eating hopelessness identifying emotions and needs overeating, dieting, weight loss overwhelm perfectionism procrastination reducing stress resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-doubt self-love self-worth stress and overeating stress eating unrealistic expectations

Everyone struggles with self-doubt occasionally. It's not only normal to experience self-doubt, it's actually healthy and a sign that you're open minded and questioning your choices, abilities and behaviors. A little self-doubt is humbling, keeping our self-confidence in check and reminding us that we're still mortals who make mistakes and have short-comings. The key is not

All you need is love

– Posted in: compassion emotional eating forgiveness hope loneliness and overeating self-acceptance self-love self-worth stress and overeating Uncategorized unrealistic expectations

In the previous blog article, I asked if you felt worthy of self-love. Hopefully you're putting into practice some of the exercises I suggested and you're beginning to connect to yourself in a more loving way. Today is Valentine's Day and I'd like you to take self-love one step further. I invite you to be your own valentine. 

Resolve to be kind to and patient with yourself this New Year

– Posted in: adjusting expectations emotional eating hopelessness losses and disappointments losses and disappointments overeating, dieting, weight loss resolving emotional eating self connection Uncategorized unrealistic expectations weight loss

Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year about losing weight, getting in shape or stopping your emotional eating?  If your like most Americans, you made one or more resolutions along those lines.  And now, almost two weeks into the new year, you may be wondering where all those good intentions have gone. I've

Loneliness and emotional eating–Part II

– Posted in: emotional eating loneliness and overeating overeating, dieting, weight loss overwhelm self connection stress and overeating unrealistic expectations

Chronic loneliness is a symptom and signal that you are disconnected from one or more of the three main sources of soul nourishment and sustenance: Self, Others and Spirituality.  Some level of a positive connection to all three sources is essential for good emotional and physical health.  In Part I of this article, I addressed Self-connection and