Mood, feelings, “good” days, and “bad” ones can all have an incredible influence on emotional eating. Given that, it’s very important to be aware of how our perspective impacts what we see and feel when we evaluate our experience or our day. It’s easy to forget that in any one moment, there are more things happening than we could possibly focus on. The places where our attention lands and the things we do choose to attend to have an incredible impact on how we feel, how we react, and ultimately how we move forward—or don’t.
I had to laugh at myself this afternoon. I was feeling frustrated at myself because I am not making the progress that I want to with an article I am writing. It’s on my to-do list today—in fact it is one of the only items on my MUST DO list today and I was looking at that short list and feeling like I wasn’t getting where I needed to go. In fact, I was feeling like I wasn’t getting ANYWHERE.
I actually laughed out loud when I realized that I have had several (yes several) unexpected positive accomplishments today. When I listed them to myself—and they were not on my to-do list, it was very clear that I’ve accomplished a lot—and truthfully, I feel really great about the things that have happened. In fact, it’s been a really great day. I knew that as soon as I thought about it. The problem is that prior to that, I wasn’t thinking about it. I was so busy looking in another direction (what wasn’t happening) that I almost missed the great stuff.
There are places in our life where we don’t have control. Not everything works out as we’d like it to or even as we plan. But we do have control over where we focus our attention. Consider that philosophical question about whether the glass is half full or half empty. Focusing on what’s in my glass rather than what is missing can create a powerful mind shift, can help me maintain control over my mood, and can have a great influence over the decisions I make and the next steps I take.
Noticing what’s in our glass is empowering, and when we feel effective and in control, we are much more likely to feel better about ourselves and our lives. This can have a direct impact on emotional eating.
I’m working to pause each day and reflect on three positive things that I see in my glass. Three good things (you can read more about the power of this exercise here). And throughout the day, I’m paying attention to whether I am focusing on the empty or the full portion of your glass. I notice an immediate difference when I do this. Care to try?
Take good care,
Melissa
