If you are tempted to overeat, LEAVE THE KITCHEN! Simply get out of the kitchen or leave the house if the temptation is too great. And whatever you do, don't go back in the kitchen for at least 30 minutes!
You can also do physical exercise, or do something constructive. Not only do you shift away from what you don't want, but also you do something so positive and get the body so involved that you can't help but feel better - and lose the desire to overeat! So when you are tempted to overeat, go for a walk, work out at home or the gym, garden, ride a bike, mall-walk or tackle that overstuffed closet upstairs!
Monday, January 27, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Be More Socially Interactive! Part 3 and Final
Yesterday, my daughter had a school holiday, and here's where my head was in the morning: I had all sorts of plans for what I wanted to do, which did not involve her.
Well, that didn't last a New York minute! Do you know one thing I love about having a young person in my life? It's that she has this uncanny ability to pull me away from whatever it is I am doing, regardless of how important it may seem to me to be at the moment!!
We played "hide the Lego Friend" outside; we raced everywhere to the tune of, "Last one there's a rotten egg!"; I recorded several movies of her doing her activity of choice, her being the star of her show; we played I don't know how many games of hide and seek; swung on the swing set - I could go on and on!
So a funny thing happened through all of this...at the end of the day, I found that I had been more productive and that I got more work done than expected! How could this be, you ask? Well, I was more focused when I did have a minute to do something on my computer. For example, I would negotiate, "Okay, let's play a game of hide-and-seek, I'll hide, then you'll hide. Then I'll write one email!" Of course, my little one agreed to this compromise. I became more efficient! I didn't waste any time being diverted from my task at hand.
I would guess that balancing out my life with more social, face-to-face interaction would have this impact on other areas of my life, too: it would stimulate me and give me more energy and focus. This is the stuff of life and where the rich rewards lie!
Well, that didn't last a New York minute! Do you know one thing I love about having a young person in my life? It's that she has this uncanny ability to pull me away from whatever it is I am doing, regardless of how important it may seem to me to be at the moment!!
We played "hide the Lego Friend" outside; we raced everywhere to the tune of, "Last one there's a rotten egg!"; I recorded several movies of her doing her activity of choice, her being the star of her show; we played I don't know how many games of hide and seek; swung on the swing set - I could go on and on!
So a funny thing happened through all of this...at the end of the day, I found that I had been more productive and that I got more work done than expected! How could this be, you ask? Well, I was more focused when I did have a minute to do something on my computer. For example, I would negotiate, "Okay, let's play a game of hide-and-seek, I'll hide, then you'll hide. Then I'll write one email!" Of course, my little one agreed to this compromise. I became more efficient! I didn't waste any time being diverted from my task at hand.
I would guess that balancing out my life with more social, face-to-face interaction would have this impact on other areas of my life, too: it would stimulate me and give me more energy and focus. This is the stuff of life and where the rich rewards lie!
Friday, January 17, 2014
Volunteering Creates a Positive Mental Attitude!
Most of the time, I am pretty outgoing and willing to go the extra mile, volunteer and take on new tasks. Life is good and I'm on track.
But there have been times I have gotten so self-absorbed that I haven't felt like reaching out or doing anything for anyone. That sounds pretty selfish, doesn't it? But here's what I have done to fix that: I've set a regular schedule with certain volunteer activities. I am accountable to others to do this work and I will get sent my "assignment", so this one thing holds me to doing the volunteering, whether I feel like it or not. Or, I have a specific time each week that I go somewhere to volunteer, and people are expecting me.
A funny thing happens when I do the thing I know I should do, which is often the thing I do not want to do: I feel better! Holding myself accountable to this volunteering takes me out of myself and keeps me on the track I want to be on, because I am a better person for doing it. And this feels good.
What kinds of volunteering get you out of yourself the most? The least?
The community newspaper and public library are great ways to learn about volunteer activities in one's area, but these possibilities are endless! If you haven't done so yet, get out there and commit to doing one small thing every week, where you are accountable to an organization for your volunteer work. That way, you won't have to learn the hard way, like I did!
But there have been times I have gotten so self-absorbed that I haven't felt like reaching out or doing anything for anyone. That sounds pretty selfish, doesn't it? But here's what I have done to fix that: I've set a regular schedule with certain volunteer activities. I am accountable to others to do this work and I will get sent my "assignment", so this one thing holds me to doing the volunteering, whether I feel like it or not. Or, I have a specific time each week that I go somewhere to volunteer, and people are expecting me.
A funny thing happens when I do the thing I know I should do, which is often the thing I do not want to do: I feel better! Holding myself accountable to this volunteering takes me out of myself and keeps me on the track I want to be on, because I am a better person for doing it. And this feels good.
What kinds of volunteering get you out of yourself the most? The least?
The community newspaper and public library are great ways to learn about volunteer activities in one's area, but these possibilities are endless! If you haven't done so yet, get out there and commit to doing one small thing every week, where you are accountable to an organization for your volunteer work. That way, you won't have to learn the hard way, like I did!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Be More Socially Interactive! Part 2
Isolation and overeating are brothers.
Reaching out to other people can be hard, especially to those who have gotten comfort in isolation with food. Being more socially interactive is one action that counters isolation. When one takes initiative to get out of isolation and be more social, the desire for that extra food may naturally disappear. On the other hand, if one sets out to indulge less often, this creates a vacuum. Since nature abhors a vacuum, something must replace that which was removed. If nothing replaces the habit of overindulging, guess what? The person won't change and will eventually return to his or her old habits of overeating. Decide now what you will replace that bad habit with, and go to it! Don't delay!
Social clubs of all types are everywhere. There are organized "meet-up" groups on the web, where people hook up on-line with common interests, then go out and actually meet with these people and do fun things, such as participating in book clubs, hiking clubs, mothers who do lunch clubs - the list is endless! Churches and the community newspaper can also be a great resource once one decides to be more socially interactive.
So is the hard part for us "deciding" and then "acting" upon our decision? I know I have had the best of intentions with certain ideals that never got off the ground. Let's pick one thing today that we will do different, and see how that effects our mindset!
Reaching out to other people can be hard, especially to those who have gotten comfort in isolation with food. Being more socially interactive is one action that counters isolation. When one takes initiative to get out of isolation and be more social, the desire for that extra food may naturally disappear. On the other hand, if one sets out to indulge less often, this creates a vacuum. Since nature abhors a vacuum, something must replace that which was removed. If nothing replaces the habit of overindulging, guess what? The person won't change and will eventually return to his or her old habits of overeating. Decide now what you will replace that bad habit with, and go to it! Don't delay!
Social clubs of all types are everywhere. There are organized "meet-up" groups on the web, where people hook up on-line with common interests, then go out and actually meet with these people and do fun things, such as participating in book clubs, hiking clubs, mothers who do lunch clubs - the list is endless! Churches and the community newspaper can also be a great resource once one decides to be more socially interactive.
So is the hard part for us "deciding" and then "acting" upon our decision? I know I have had the best of intentions with certain ideals that never got off the ground. Let's pick one thing today that we will do different, and see how that effects our mindset!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Be More Socially Interactive!
I am sure everyone has gotten used to writing 2014 now! Upping the year in our written documents is a habit that must change at the beginning of each year. But how about other habits? How about those new years resolutions? I have an idea!!!
If I were to take a poll, I would be willing to bet that if there were 2 possible new year's resolutions, such as…
1. Become more active with social media, get more comfortable with many types of social media
---and---
2. Spend more time face to face with friends and loved ones,
That #1 would win as the resolution of choice.
Which is it for you? I, personally, am all over #1. And now that I've written that, I'm not very proud of it, either. It is a necessity, though, for anyone who is in business: easy to rationalize. And it's so much fun to engage in, personally! On the other hand, those relationships will always be there, right? Hmm.
But something's missing, isn't it? The social and interactive "direct access" connection we get and give by spending time with someone in person. Even Skype and Face Time don't have the same impact as physically being with someone. We are missing the 100% communication-ability that happens when we are immediately connected with one's face, body, body language and voice!!
I am going to challenge you and challenge myself today. My challenge is to contact someone who we don't know very well to meet up someplace and do lunch or coffee or something like that. And actually follow through!! I have a feeling that this type of socializing is a dying art in our world - and one that needs to be revived for our sense of well-being and connectedness!
How are you with the social media thing? I've heard some speak lately of wanting to cut back on the social media, that they really don't feel it is adding a whole lot to their lives. What are your thoughts?
The next post will be an update! Happy social-not media-izing!
If I were to take a poll, I would be willing to bet that if there were 2 possible new year's resolutions, such as…
1. Become more active with social media, get more comfortable with many types of social media
---and---
2. Spend more time face to face with friends and loved ones,
That #1 would win as the resolution of choice.
Which is it for you? I, personally, am all over #1. And now that I've written that, I'm not very proud of it, either. It is a necessity, though, for anyone who is in business: easy to rationalize. And it's so much fun to engage in, personally! On the other hand, those relationships will always be there, right? Hmm.
But something's missing, isn't it? The social and interactive "direct access" connection we get and give by spending time with someone in person. Even Skype and Face Time don't have the same impact as physically being with someone. We are missing the 100% communication-ability that happens when we are immediately connected with one's face, body, body language and voice!!
I am going to challenge you and challenge myself today. My challenge is to contact someone who we don't know very well to meet up someplace and do lunch or coffee or something like that. And actually follow through!! I have a feeling that this type of socializing is a dying art in our world - and one that needs to be revived for our sense of well-being and connectedness!
How are you with the social media thing? I've heard some speak lately of wanting to cut back on the social media, that they really don't feel it is adding a whole lot to their lives. What are your thoughts?
The next post will be an update! Happy social-not media-izing!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Controlling My Thinking
I learned something a while back I want to share with you… I started to pay attention to my thoughts and what was going through my head. I did this to become more aware of when I was thinking negatively. What I found was that there were two scenarios that would cause my mind to spin out of control:
1. Some circumstance out of my control would happen (an unexpected bill, an expected bill, a medical issue, a disruptive child, an inconsiderate driver, etc., etc…) and it would set off a chain reaction of thought in my head and affect me for some time thereafter; or
2. I would wake up with a negative mindset (due to hormones, waking up on the wrong side of bed, and who knows what else) and be unable to shake it off.
Needless to say, I lived in negativity: MARINATED in it. Negative was comfortable. I was so used to it! One day a dear friend asked me, "Annette, how much positivity can you handle at one time?" This question stunned me. I had no idea, but I was intrigued and determined to find out! This question inspired me to look to higher ground. It was at this point that I really began to tune in to what was going on upstairs and begin to take control of my mind.
Once I decided to pay attention to my mindset, I became aware of how I was plagued and driven by negative thoughts. Now, I want to take a moment and ask you the question, "Why do you think I didn't pay attention to my thoughts before?"
Thank you for asking! I am happy to tell you that I never even considered the possibility that I might have an inkling of control over my own thoughts! In fact, I truly thought I was powerless over my mind, my feelings and my thoughts. I concluded for many years that I was doomed because of my mindset: and I was, for "as a man thinketh, so is he".
Happily, over time this all changed. I became aware of what was happening inside me and believed that I did, in fact, have control over my mind and my thoughts, that I have control over what I focus on and what I choose to NOT focus on.
Don't wait to do this! Your whole life will change as a result of your doing this one thing: taking control of your own mind!!!
Friday, January 3, 2014
Fireworks In My Head
My neighbors left their 11 and 12 year old sons unsupervised to do their fireworks the past few nights. The following mornings, there were heaps of trash in front of their driveway, which was cleaned up at some point during the day. But what wasn't cleaned up was all the projectile trash from those fireworks which landed in my front yard, driveway and bushes.
What's a girl to do? Here are my options that I see:
1. Either I knock on their door and ask them if they wouldn't mind cleaning up my yard after their sons do fireworks;
2. I call the sheriff or neighborhood association to register a complaint; or
3. I attempt, as one citizen, to try to get more strict enforcement of something that is already prohibited in this area.
4. I do nothing.
Let's look at all of these, briefly:
1. Here, I look like the bad guy, the killjoy, and possibly might ruin my harmonious neighborly relationship by confronting these people.
2. Been there, done that. Nobody does anything or claims there is anything anybody can do because "everybody is doing it". Who is everybody, anyway? I only see these people doing it in my neighborhood. Are there more people doing it than not doing it? I don't think so. I got nowhere with this one, either with the association or the sheriff.
3. I have not done this one. It will take time and there are no guarantees that my efforts will result in more peace and safety for all residents of my community. I am willing to try this, though.
4. I have been doing nothing for almost 10 years. What has happened? The same thing, every 4th of July and New Year's Eve. And as these holidays approach each year, I dread them. I feel stuck. I plan to have a sleepless night. My frustration and stress level build every year, as does my resentment. What's more scary to me is that as these boys are getting older, their antics become more daring.
What do you do to prevent stress from coming in to your life? How would you deal with this problem? Is there an alternative I did not mention that I need to hear about? I would really appreciate feedback on this one, before next 4th of July!!!
What's a girl to do? Here are my options that I see:
1. Either I knock on their door and ask them if they wouldn't mind cleaning up my yard after their sons do fireworks;
2. I call the sheriff or neighborhood association to register a complaint; or
3. I attempt, as one citizen, to try to get more strict enforcement of something that is already prohibited in this area.
4. I do nothing.
Let's look at all of these, briefly:
1. Here, I look like the bad guy, the killjoy, and possibly might ruin my harmonious neighborly relationship by confronting these people.
2. Been there, done that. Nobody does anything or claims there is anything anybody can do because "everybody is doing it". Who is everybody, anyway? I only see these people doing it in my neighborhood. Are there more people doing it than not doing it? I don't think so. I got nowhere with this one, either with the association or the sheriff.
3. I have not done this one. It will take time and there are no guarantees that my efforts will result in more peace and safety for all residents of my community. I am willing to try this, though.
4. I have been doing nothing for almost 10 years. What has happened? The same thing, every 4th of July and New Year's Eve. And as these holidays approach each year, I dread them. I feel stuck. I plan to have a sleepless night. My frustration and stress level build every year, as does my resentment. What's more scary to me is that as these boys are getting older, their antics become more daring.
What do you do to prevent stress from coming in to your life? How would you deal with this problem? Is there an alternative I did not mention that I need to hear about? I would really appreciate feedback on this one, before next 4th of July!!!
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