Re: Experiencing hunger without fear

[Guest guest]

Hello Kate,

I sure can relate. I know that feeling of fear or even panic, when your mind

anxiously asks " What if I get hungry? What will I do? I better eat something

now so I don't get hungry later. "

I do this too, especially if I know I'll be someplace where I won't be able to

eat for a long time (i.e. a long meeting at work, a long commute, etc...) .

I've been keeping a protein bar in my purse with me these days, in case I am

somewhere and do get hungry and need something small to hold me over.

Sitting with hunger is an interesting challenge, isn't it? Those diets that we

often hear about that claim " Diet and lose weight without being hungry " are way

off track. After learning about IE, I remember seeing those ads with a

different perspective, asking " What is wrong with hunger? " .

I think we live in a society that does not want to experience discomfort - not

even a little bit (I'm including myself here!) ... But a lot can be learned when

we're in a place of discomfort for a few moments.

I find that my anxiety and panic sets in when I'm WAITING for hunger. When I

get home from work and I'm still not hungry for dinner and I haven't eaten for

4-5 hours and I just want something to eat to help me unwind from my day. I get

a little jittery or panicky and I still have yet to figure out what that's all

about. Perhaps it's a fear that hunger will never occur and I'll never get to

eat again! Silly and unrealistic, I know. Still trying to figure it out.

I find in those moments, a quick prayer helps to calm my nerves. And doing what

you did is fantastic! Gently saying " Let's look at what's going on here " ...

Bravo!

>

> Yesterday, where I was stranded somewhere and I had no food and I started

getting hungry.

>

> At first I became quite panicky, and then I had the thought " Ok, let's look at

what is really going on here. All that is happening is that I am experiencing

physical hunger. I feel acidity in my stomach, gurgling, emptiness. Nothing

terrible is going to happen. I'm safe. I won't die. There is no risk here. The

worst that will happen is I will get a headache. "

>

> Somehow, just relaxing with these thoughts, made me feel like I had could be

in the presence of hunger without being afraid. That is was really OK to be

hungry.

>

> Even though IE says to eat when you are hungry, I think I avoid " getting "

hungry in the first place. So this was a good experience to see that feeling

hunger is a normal body function!

>

> -Kate

>