Re: Eating While Overwhelmed With Emotions

[Guest guest]

Latoya, Would you talk a little more about the process you describe below? I'm especially interested in your mentioning visualization in the process. What do you visualize? How does this work? Thanks,

judi

I personally wouldn't wait more than an hour to respond to my hunger.

Optimally, it takes me about 15-20 minutes to take care of myself,

focus on my breathing, meditate, visualize, and let go in order to

shift my body out of an intense emotional state or at least decrease

it enough to be able to honor my hunger signals. I think that learning

ways to manage our emotions so that they don't prevent us from taking

care of ourselves is an important part of the journey.

Latoya

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonnie...I know the feeling you described oh so well! The "can't eat..he might be the one.. I'm so excited..I wonder if he likes me?" blues. But then they usually prove what a jerk they are...and then I can eat again. I'm also single and 31.

Kipkabob

(Intuitive eating since September 2006)

Subject: Re: Eating While Overwhelmed With EmotionsTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Received: Sunday, November 30, 2008, 11:48 AM

Hi Styxia,

I totally get what you are saying! I eat when I am sad, lonely, depressed, happy, frustrated.. .but these are all comfortable emotions for me. The emotion that keeps me from eating is the excitement I get when I meet a really great guy (I'm single at 31) and feel like he has potential to be a boyfriend (which I never have). This emotion is very uncomfortable because I never experience it, and the situation has the potential to really change my life, so this is when I Can't Eat. I get so nervous and stressed out, and feel out of control of my future at that point that the thought of putting food in my stomach sounds ridicuous. I also tend to drink more alcohal when I feel this way, and tend to eat just enough to keep me from getting sick when I have a glass of wine.

Guys make me crazy!!

Bonnie

To: Intuitive Eating <IntuitiveEating_ Support@yahoogro ups.com>Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 4:59:43 AMSubject: [intuitiveEating_ Support] Eating While Overwhelmed With Emotions

I can remember posting about this a while ago. IIRC I didn't get muchanswer. Maybe I wasn't able to bring across my point but I'm overwhelmedwith emotions lately again and this has become a problem again.Does anyone else struggle with the problem of being physically hungrybut not really wanting to eat because you feel strong emotions at thismoment and eating would feel like reinforcing thecoping-with- food-mechanism?Usually when I'm feeling really strong emotions I feel like I can't eat.I have no appetite. However, the physical feeling is uncomfortable(headache, lightneadedness, growling stomach, clenched jaw, weird tastein the mouth, slight nausea... you know these sensations).I don't know if I'm just creating a dilemma on purpose but this questionreally gets to me (again): Do I reinforce the unwanted coping mechanism when eating whilephysically hungry but being overwhelmed

with emotions?It simply doesn't feel "right" or "good" to eat then.I can remember dealing with this some months ago that I simply didn'teat most of the time when being in this situation but drank a coffeewith milk and sugar or a glass of juice or something to get rid of thehunger symptoms while not eating but it didn't really work (no wonder ifone thinks about that a cup of coffee doesn't equal a meal).I'd appreciate any feedback, be it a "yes, I know the feeling" or a"never thought of that" or a "you're a problem-creator, stop it".Regardss.

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[Guest guest]

Kip,

Exactly!! I hate that feeling. Good thing it doesn't happen very

often!

Bonnie

>

>

> Subject: Re: Eating While Overwhelmed

With Emotions

> To: IntuitiveEating_Support

> Received: Sunday, November 30, 2008, 11:48 AM

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Hi Styxia,

> I totally get what you are saying! I eat when I am sad, lonely,

depressed, happy, frustrated.. .but these are all comfortable

emotions for me. The emotion that keeps me from eating is the

excitement I get when I meet a really great guy (I'm single at 31)

and feel like he has potential to be a boyfriend (which I never

have). This emotion is very uncomfortable because I never experience

it, and the situation has the potential to really change my life, so

this is when I Can't Eat. I get so nervous and stressed out, and feel

out of control of my future at that point that the thought of putting

food in my stomach sounds ridicuous. I also tend to drink more

alcohal when I feel this way, and tend to eat just enough to keep me

from getting sick when I have a glass of wine.

> Guys make me crazy!!

>  

> Bonnie

>

>

>

>

>

>

> To: Intuitive Eating <IntuitiveEating_ Support@yahoogro ups.com>

> Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 4:59:43 AM

> Subject: [intuitiveEating_ Support] Eating While Overwhelmed With

Emotions

>

>

>

> I can remember posting about this a while ago. IIRC I didn't get

much

> answer. Maybe I wasn't able to bring across my point but I'm

overwhelmed

> with emotions lately again and this has become a problem again.

>

> Does anyone else struggle with the problem of being physically

hungry

> but not really wanting to eat because you feel strong emotions at

this

> moment and eating would feel like reinforcing the

> coping-with- food-mechanism?

>

> Usually when I'm feeling really strong emotions I feel like I can't

eat.

> I have no appetite. However, the physical feeling is uncomfortable

> (headache, lightneadedness, growling stomach, clenched jaw, weird

taste

> in the mouth, slight nausea... you know these sensations).

>

> I don't know if I'm just creating a dilemma on purpose but this

question

> really gets to me (again):

>

> Do I reinforce the unwanted coping mechanism when eating while

> physically hungry but being overwhelmed with emotions?

>

> It simply doesn't feel " right " or " good " to eat then.

>

> I can remember dealing with this some months ago that I simply

didn't

> eat most of the time when being in this situation but drank a coffee

> with milk and sugar or a glass of juice or something to get rid of

the

> hunger symptoms while not eating but it didn't really work (no

wonder if

> one thinks about that a cup of coffee doesn't equal a meal).

>

> I'd appreciate any feedback, be it a " yes, I know the feeling " or a

> " never thought of that " or a " you're a problem-creator, stop it " .

>

> Regards

> s.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________________________

> Get the name you've always wanted @ymail.com or @rocketmail.com! Go

to http://ca.promos.yahoo.com/jacko/

>

[Guest guest]

Judi,

One site that is more general and focused on different aspects of

working with the body is McHugh's method Somatic Expression.

http://www.somaticexpression.com/

I've found his articles to be helpful as well...

http://www.somaticexpression.com/articles.html

Let me know what you think if you read any of them. I took a class

with him when I was in graduate school and I've been working with

his 5 elements of somatic expression the past year.

Latoya

>

> > Judi,

> >

> > Dealing with emotions with intention is unchartered waters for

most of

> > us...so it can be a scary process...especially in the beginning.

It's

> > similar to some aspects of IE, it's scary for people to give

> > up " dieting " , to " feel hunger " , and to make peace with food. My

> > intuition and paying attention to my body has been crucial in

both

> > processes so that I take care of myself and don't overwhelm

> > myself...that I don't try to jump from point A to point G.

> >

> > Let me think about some books and websites. I learned about

Levine's

> > work when I was doing some research into dealing with trauma for

a

> > school project. 's speciality is trauma and the healing of

> > trauma...his website is http://www.traumahealing.com. I went to

the

> > site this morning to see if I would recommend it and found a

really

> > cool excerpt of an article called Emotional First Aid. However,

most

> > of the article, his book, Waking the Tiger, and his approach,

Somatic

> > Experiencing, focuses on trauma prevention and resolution,

though it

> > really does have broad applications in the area of dealing with

> > physiological states in the body. This dialogue is helping bring

some

> > things into focus for me, so thank you. Give me a few days and

I'll

> > let you know what comes to me.

> >

> > Latoya

> >

> >

> >

>