The First Step to Avoiding Procrastination, Stress Eating and Unhappiness

hopscotch 187x250 The First Step to Avoiding Procrastination, Stress Eating and Unhappiness Stop “not thinking about it.”

How often do you end up shoving your plans and priorities or even your thoughts and feelings to the back burner because there are so many other things you feel responsible for?

Guess what? “Not thinking about it” doesn’t work. It’s also a way of not taking yourself seriously.

I hear it all the time from clients:

“I don’t want to feel angry.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it so I eat.”

“I’m trying not to focus on it.”

Denying your thoughts and feelings is a major source of stress, a major cause of emotional eating, insomnia, procrastination, misplaced irritability and problems focusing.

Here’s another important piece of information (especially for all you high-achievers and perfectionists!):

Taking your thoughts and feelings seriously doesn’t mean you have to know what to “do about them.”

Too many of you are prolonging your stress and creating problems for yourself because you’ve decided—“It’s pointless to think about this because I can’t do anything about it.”

Important feelings and thoughts don’t go away just because you ignore them. Too often they build up, get tangled up around other issues, and trigger self-sabotaging behaviors like stress eating, comfort eating, avoidance, lack of motivation in other areas . . . you get the picture.

Here’s your bite-sized challenge for today. I want you to separate the process of acknowledging and respecting your feelings from the task of problem solving.

Today—right now if you can—start a list of everything that you are currently tolerating. Everything you can think of that is sub-optimal, isn’t working for you, is driving you crazy, causing you stress, distress, sadness, or just bugs you a teensy tiny bit.

Put it on a list. Nothing is too small or too outrageous. If it helps to compartmentalize, make separate lists. I have one for work and one for my personal life.  Start the list and add to it as things occur to you. Then watch what happens.

I’m going to predict at least two results.  Once you start noting things like this—actually writing them down—you are automatically paying more attention to your feelings or needs. This is the opposite of the head-in-the-sand approach. Take note of where it leads you. Most people find that noting what they are tolerating causes them to be more aware of what they want and what they don’t want. You’re also likely to find that simply putting some of these items on your list seems to lead to easy resolution. The truth is, sometimes the act of saying, “this doesn’t work for me.” Is enough to create change.

Make your list and see what happens. Leave a comment and share your experience.

Take good care,

Melissa1 The First Step to Avoiding Procrastination, Stress Eating and Unhappiness

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Comments

  1. chana says:
    January 12, 2012 at 2:39 am

    I really needed to read this. today. Thanks so much for sharing

  2. Melissa McCreery says:
    January 12, 2012 at 5:48 am

    Hi Chana–Glad it was the right message on the right day! ~Melissa

  3. Katie says:
    January 12, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    I really like this post, and this blog! I so often find myself thinking, “I’m too busy – I need to send e-mails, write a presentation, do an analysis…I don’t have time to feel my feelings!”

    But the problem is…when you do that, you start feeling numb. You lose yourself.

    So thanks for the reminder, Melissa ;)

    p.s. I recently started a blog that also relates to food, body image, and joy. I would love for anyone here to pay me a visit! peanutbuttercupsforbreakfast.wordpress.com

  4. Melissa McCreery says:
    January 12, 2012 at 2:51 pm

    Hi Katie! Great name for a blog! Here’s to staying present and not getting lost. :-)

  5. Cougar says:
    January 12, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    Great article, I listen to it over and over (mp3). I need too. With lots of health issues and the sanctuary to run, I’m toleratin’ lots and stay overwhelmed. I’ll start on the lists. I like havin’ 2 lists, one for the daily sanctuary work (cleanin’&feedin’, business, etc.) and one for personal, my relationship and me. I think I tolerate too much grumblin’, pity, excuses and rationalizations from myself (monkey mind).

  6. Melissa McCreery says:
    January 13, 2012 at 6:11 am

    Hi Cougar–See what happens with those lists. I hope that shining a light on some of the stuff that isn’t working will start to create some change in positive directions. It’s not magic, but I think it’s a pretty important first step.