There’s a piece of property that my family owns where I grew up in northern Idaho.

We keep a dry cabin on it for hunting.

There’s no running water. No electricity. No cell phone service.

Back when I was a kid, the area was part of a thriving community.

We had a school and a community hall.

We all knew each other, rode horses together, hunted together and went to church together.

Nowadays, it’s just about abandoned.

Hardly any residents.

The school is gone and no one meets at the community hall anymore.

Most houses along the main highway are run down and there’s no spark left.

It’s hard to get to from Boise (where I live), but lately, my family property where I grew up has called to me.

I love being there.

I have incredible childhood memories and since nothing much has changed, the original houses, barns, ponds, creeks, etc. are all there.

So I spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week there. Just Hazel and me.

We hiked, read, played, and wandered.

I lit an oil lamp for light and made coffee and bacon over a cook stove.

I kept a fire burning for warmth.

The silence was deafening (in a good way).

I’m not sure what the future holds for our property.

For now, I know it’s there when I need to decompress.

In Code Red’s early days, I didn’t take enough time to decompress.

Sometimes, I still don’t.

But I’ve gotten better.

See, I’ve learned that not taking time to decompress is one of the triggers that makes it harder to care about eating for a goal.

Meaning, it’s easier to justify eating whatever crap I feel like – or overeating – because it’s too hard to care about sticking to eating in a way that gets me to my health goals.

A lot of people won’t take time to decompress.

They SAY it’s because they don’t have time or they can’t afford it (even though it doesn’t have to cost money).

Many also see it as a luxury they only squeeze in if all their other obligations are met (which is never gonna happen – there’s always more to do). Many often feel guilty about it, too.

So they don’t take time to decompress, and what happens?

They make time to overeat or eat crap instead.

They spend money on crap food or too much food.

Then they gain back weight they have to take time to re-lose.

They feel guilty for messing up.

Are you seeing the trap you put yourself in when you don’t take time to decompress?

If not, here it is: You’re either making the time and spending the money to decompress, or you’re making the time and spending the money to eat off-plan and set yourself back.

Either way, you are making time for something.

You may as well make the time to decompress in a way that helps you.

Make no mistake – that need to decompress isn’t going anywhere.

If you don’t mindfully fit it into your life on an ongoing basis, you’ll hit a threshold in your ability to cope and do it on a whim (usually with unhealthy options like eating junk food).

And then you’ll probably feel guilty about it (which isn’t great if you’re avoiding self-care because you feel guilty doing it).

Another reason to decompress is that it’s FUN. It’s enjoyable. You feel good during and afterwards.

Food usually feels good when you’re eating it, and it’s probably fun to eat, too. But the difference is, you don’t feel good afterwards.

Bottom line: Make time to decompress, because it’s fun AND it’ll help you stay on track.