Weight loss is a pretty emotional experience for most people. Depending on how you manage those emotions, they can help you to stay on track, or they can send you off the rails.
For example, scared you’re gonna die? Scared you won’t be around to see your kids (or grandkids) grow up and get married? Use it as motivation to stay on track.
Love fashion and cute clothes, but have a hard time finding clothes you like that fit? Use it as motivation to lose all your weight and keep it off.
Tired of feeling like a failure who gives up? Then stick with it, lose all your weight, and keep it off.
See what I mean? You can use your emotions to move you forward.
But when it comes to your emotions, what you absolutely do NOT wanna do is shame and judge yourself for how you feel.
See, we’re conditioned to view certain emotions as bad, and when we feel them we immediately think, “Oh, I shouldn’t be feeling this way. It means I’m not nice. It means I’m not a good person.”
Then we beat ourselves up for feeling them.
Listen, I can guarantee you that even the “nicest” person on the planet has SOMETHING that gets them feeling one of these socially unacceptable emotions.
Instead of judging yourself for having them, accept that they’re a part of life. Allow yourself to feel them, so you can let them go.
When I say allow yourself to feel them, I don’t mean go on a rampage like the Incredible Hulk!
I mean, instead of judging yourself for having them, notice that they’re happening, and then allow them to happen.
Where we really get into trouble with this is when we judge our emotions, and especially, when we suppress them.
There’s no such thing as suppressing your emotions. One way or another, they’re gonna express. You can either allow yourself to feel them, and get it over with, or you can keep trying to numb and avoid them with food, alcohol, social media, and other escapist behaviors that wreak havoc on your body, mind, and life.
One of those choices leads to and perpetuates misery.
The other may be uncomfortable in the moment, but the gifts you give yourself are freedom and joy.
You’re human. You feel things. Let go of the self-judgment for being that way!