change therapy is the home of the carnival of eating disorders. i’ll put up the “easy” version of the carnival on the promised date (july 31). for this blogathon, i’d like to feature three articles that have been contributed.
for this post, we’ll look at carol solomon’s stress eating: “not enoughness”
do you feel like you don’t have enough?
enough time . . . money . . . love?
or that you “aren’t” enough . . . not good enough . . . not worthy enough?
this is scarcity thinking, and it can show up in a lot of really subtle, sneaky places.
where does “not enough” show up in your life? i’ll tell you where it shows up in mine.
on the airplane, i worry about not having “enough space” to store my bags . . .
i worry about not having “enough time” to accomplish what i want . . . both on a daily basis . . . and being on this earth long enough to make a difference in the world. …practice noticing when this subtle “not enough” feeling emerges for you (we all have it). when you feel it, you know that a gremlin (self-saboteur) is at work. it may be just the signal you need to “do” less, or to know that something in your life needs to change.
carol solomon also suggests to write gratitude lists, to practice receiving, and to connect. i like what she has to say here
have you ever gone out with friends and had a wonderful time connecting and just being together? it’s very fulfilling, and you don’t feel the need to fill up with food. fostering a sense of community helps you feel less isolated in the world. when you do things that fulfill you, you don’t need to “fill up” with food.
the topic of “enough” is fascinating, and i have written about it here.
much compulsive overeating is about a sense of not having enough. it might be very directly related to food – e.g. for a person who grew up in poverty. it can also relate to other things. is there enough love, enough attention, enough pleasure? if not, is food used to fill the hole? sometimes the deprivation was in the past but food has become such an easy way to get what we want that the gravy train just keeps on running, despite changed circumstances.
and of course food is just one way to fill the hole. the “drug of choice” to get that elusive feeling of enoughness can be anything else – heroin, shopping, working, the internet …
does any of this resonate?
next blog post in the eating disorders section of this blogathon: sexy at any size!
this is an entry for my participation in the 2008 blogathon, a 24-hour marathon of blogging. please support the cause and donate – however much, however little – to the canadian mental health association (vancouver/burnaby branch). to donate, use this URL: www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=d2252. you should be able to get there by clicking the link;if not, just copy and paste the link into your browser. it will take you to the appropriate location at canada helps. thank you!