Matzoh Meal

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Last night was the first night of Passover, the Jewish holiday where no leavened bread is eaten and matzoh is substituted.  This is a type of restriction even though there is a substitute.  We all know that restriction (of any type) leads to a binge.  Therein lies the dilemma…to restrict bread or not?

I think the decision depends on the person so here are a few questions to ask yourself.  Are you religious?  Does the meaning behind the ritual mean something to you besides just doing what you’ve always done, what’s expected or because other people think you should?  Does restricting bread feel like deprivation?  Does eating matzoh for 7 days make you feel good physically?  Do you need to observe the “no bread” thing for the entire 7 days?  After answering these questions, the decision can be made.

I will be having matzoh and the traditional meals made with it but if I want leavened bread, I will have it.  But, I know I won’t be perfect because that’s not what I strive for anymore and that’s good enough for me.  🙂

Needless Violence

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About a week ago a white man in Detroit hit a black boy with his car.  The man stopped the car and got out to check on the boy who didn’t have any life-threatening injuries.  Then a group of 5 black men approached the white man and proceeded to beat him until a black retired nursing home worker stopped the men.  The white man was beaten so badly he slipped into a coma and is still recovering in the hospital.  The nursing home worker has been honored for her intervention and rightly so.

This story is heart-breaking to me for many reasons…the racial tension, the out of control anger, the violence, the assumptions and, most of all, the lack of humanity and compassion.  All because of a terrible yet unintentional event.

I can’t help but think if we were a more compassionate society, things like this could be avoided.  Maybe it’s naive but I think more compassion in the world would give individuals and communities a more peaceful existence.

7 Kinds of Hunger

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Jan Chozen Bays, MD is the author of “Mindful Eating,” and she makes a lot of interesting points in her book.  She defines “Seven Kinds of Hunger” which puts words to our approaches toward food.  I think I’ll do another series describing and commenting on them each Sunday.  I hope you join me by posting in the comments.  Here goes…

Eye Hunger

Have you ever been stuffed but just had to have that dessert because it LOOKS so delicious and tempting?  That’s eye hunger.  This week, try to notice food that is beautifully presented and what your reaction is…did you eat it, were you hungry, were you stuffed but ate it anyway, did you resist?  Report back your results, please!

Enjoy, live and love, Michelle

Can I Ask You A Question?

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I know, I know.  I write A LOT about emotions because I’ve suppressed mine for so long that feeling them is fascinating.  That’s why I write about them so much.

So, here’s the question:

Can you name 8 emotions?

I believe you’ll find that this isn’t as easy as you think.   Share your answers in the comments, please….I’d love to know what you’re feeling  😉

I Had A…..

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…binge the other day.  Interestingly enough, I’m not beating myself up about it.  I have a twinge of disappointment about it but I did it, was aware that I was doing it and can’t take it back.  I don’t feel guilty but wish I didn’t turn to this old habit to deal with difficult emotions.  Most importantly, I know WHY I did it – I’ve been confronting a lot of things I’ve ignored for most of my life which causes tears, painful emotions and, sometimes, difficult conversations.

I’m not sure that I will ever eliminate binges from my life and I’m not sure that I need to as long as they are few and far between and not keeping me from being emotionally and physically healthy.  After all, perfection isn’t the goal, progress is!

Crying Out Loud

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I have been crying a lot lately – it’s a normal part of processing and transforming, so I’m told.  It’s interesting how your face changes and how your body feels after a good cry.  I notice that my eyes become a deep green even though they are red-rimmed.  What do you notice when you cry?

Treatment – Con’t

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I was in Day Treatment for 5 weeks from 9:30am to 3pm and, although it was emotionally draining, I look back on it with great fondness.  During this time, I participated in group therapy focusing on Body Image, Art Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Multi-Family Therapy and Food Planning (to name just a few) along with our individual and nutritional therapy.  I’m not gonna lie…there were some days that I didn’t want to go or couldn’t wait to leave for the day.  It was worth it to persevere because it laid a good foundation for my transformation.  STAY TUNED….I will go into more detail about the foundation in next Wednesday’s treatment post.

Criticism

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My VERY wise friend says that, when someone says something critical, they aren’t criticizing the person but the action.  Our first inclination in these situations is to personalize the criticism and make it about the person but it’s really not about that.  There are so many reasons why people criticize and most of them have nothing to do with the one being criticized.  It goes back to having a strong sense of self-worth to minimize the effect of the criticism. Too bad it’s not so easy to remember in the heat of the moment.

Skinny Menu

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Have you been to a restaurant where they offer a light menu in addition to the regular menu?  I went to one this weekend and had no idea what to do…I was literally warring with myself over which menu I would order from.  I really wanted to order off the regular menu but found myself feeling guilty for not wanting the food on the “skinny” menu…I have weight to lose so have no business even considering the regular menu, right?  Finally, I realized this was ridiculous, returned to mindful and intuitive eating principles and chose what my body wanted…I ordered off the regular menu 🙂

Healing

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Mary O’Malley writes in The Gift of our Compulsions:

“Healing is about becoming yourself – not an idea of what you should be, not an ongoing project that always needs to be better or different, but truly and authentically yourself – alive, joyous, trusting and full of love.”