For all of you who already have my book Stop Overeating Today!, please refer to Tip #10. It’s probably one of the most overlooked yet valuable tips in the book. It’s overlooked because people don’t want to practice it because it has six steps, although they are quick and easy. I’ll show you why it’s so valuable now.
Ok, what’s a thought that you have right before you overeat? (Step 1) Or overspend? Or overdrink? (Yesterday I blogged about addictive behavior). Maybe you have the thought, “My loneliness will go away if I eat this food.”
Now is the time to practice Step 2. You ask, “Is it true that … my loneliness will go away if I eat this food?”
Be honest. It’s okay to say yes if you feel that’s true.
Next is Step 3. Ask yourself, “Can I absolutely know it’s true that … my loneliness will go away if I eat this food?”
Again, say what is true to you.
Step 4 is to ask yourself, “How do I react/feel when I believe the thought that … my loneliness will go away if I eat this food?”
Obviously, you eat it. But how do you feel? Regretful? Impulsive? Weak? How do you treat yourself?
Step 5 is the last question: “How would you be different if you didn’t believe that … my loneliness will go away if I eat this food?”
Would you do something else to make your loneliness go away instead of turning to a substance? Would you call a friend instead who might be even lonelier than you? Would you plan a social activity so you have something concrete to look forward to?
Now for Step #6, the last one. Take the original thought … my loneliness will go away if I eat this food and flip it to its opposite. There are a couple of ways you can do this: my loneliness with NOT go away if I eat this food. Or, my loneliness will GET WORSE if I eat this food. Pick one that resonates best with you and list three reasons why it could be true is already is true.
For example, my loneliness with GET WORSE if I eat this food because:
1) I will feel bad I overate and then will feel embarrassed and more isolated.
2) Overeating when I’m not hungry when I don’t really want to is separating myself from my common sense. I will no longer be doing what’s best for me and will feel lonely in my own skin, like I can’t trust myself.
3) If I have urges to eat other people’s food and do it, they will not be happy with me and I will feel isolated.
Now that you know the six steps, practice them! It may look like a lot of work, but it’s perhaps the most important work you can do if you overeat frequently and you want to win the mental struggle. Overeating is all about the mental struggle. For more information about this approach, please visit: http://www.thework.com
Also, if you want a more detailed description of applying this tip, I recommend buying my book Stop Overeating Today!, which has a small chapter dedicated to this topic.