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By LifeAdviceSite.com
Are you struggling with your weight? Are you aware you may be among millions who are faced with overcoming mental programming brought on by early life situations? Your eating patterns as an adult may have actually resulted from the nurturing you received as a young child. Now that you are grown, you have the capability to understand these programming cues and find a way to undo them within your mind.
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When you were a baby, your parents may have been like many people who encountered difficulty in interpreting their baby's cries. We know babies typically cry when they are hungry, tired or need to be changed. Many people do not realize their baby may also cry when they are too warm, too cold, bored, uncomfortable, lonely or frustrated. Consequently, most parents develop a habit of automatically meeting their child's cry with a bottle. Once the bottle is brought, the baby is soothed through the sucking reflex, he or she relaxes and often drifts off to sleep. Right from the get-go, nourishing our tiny bellies brings a feeling of warmth, closeness and comfort. Tucked safely inside the arms of a loved one, we learn early on that a meal can be comforting and even a welcomed distraction from boredom or loneliness. Later in life we might still be eating to relax, seek comfort, obtain companionship or relieve boredom. |
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As we grow, our parents and caregivers are interested in seeing that we obtain proper nutrition on a regular basis. They fill our plates with a variety of foods and request that we eat them all. They may even offer threat of punishment for not eating everything, or they may offer reward for clearing our plates at each meal. We learn not to waste a single morsel, and that there is value in clearing our plates.
Often times when life's pain or disappointment overcomes us, those closest to us reach out to soothe hurt feelings or bodies in pain with the comfort of some treat. "Would an ice cream make you feel better?" "How about a nice piece of cake to make you feel better?"
While the intentions are nothing but positive, the message once again is that food will somehow make us feel better. After a while, it becomes the truth. When we feel disappointed or stressed, food becomes the coping mechanism we turn to based on our programming. Given enough stress and disappointment, it can translate to excess weight very quickly.
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Fortunately, programming is very easy to undo. If you have discovered any of these habits within yourself, you can immediately make a positive change for yourself. Start by replacing one habit for another. If you typically eat when you are stressed out, try going for a walk instead. The physical activity will release the stress pent up inside your body and actually burn calories instead of add them. If you're eating out of boredom, think about what else you could be doing. Call and catch up with an old friend, start working on your favorite hobby or get lost in a great book. If comfort is your requirement, find an alternate channel to soothe yourself. Maybe you could curl up with a wonderfully cozy blanket, seek a warm hug from a loved one or enjoy a soothing cup of tea. |
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Food is wonderful, and sharing companionship with food and people is a great part of life. Once you begin replacing old habits for new ones, the new habits will become your new reality. At that point, you will have succeeded in reprogramming your mind and behaviors to work for you in the most effective manner possible. You will see eating for the pleasure and sustenance it brings without the unnecessary excess.
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Health Reprogramming