Most of us find ourselves in a situation where we pick up a food source, and without even thinking, being to eat it. This can be a massive problem for anyone, and it can be the most problematic habit to tackle. It’s so hard because this type of unconscious habit is something we’ve built inside of us as a soothing mechanism.
Remember when your kids, or perhaps kids of friends you know, where babies? Most babies lived with a dummy stuck in their mouths. I know my daughter had a dummy for many years as a baby, and we found it extremely hard to reduce her resistance to it. I can’t even remember how we did it, but it was hard. Hearing a baby cry murder because they can’t get to their dummy is tough for anyone. But eventually, the attachment and comfort with that pacifier stopped existing.
I see that pacifier in adults as well — and I’m not dismissing myself here. I’ve had to look long and hard at my eating habits and know that at times, I was eating more than what I needed or should! It took time to understand what was going on, but we all can look inside ourselves to work it out.
I know this is hard because uncovering that source of unhappiness within ourselves is something we spent years covering up with various band-aid devices. But what I want you to do is sit still and listen to what’s going on inside of you. These unconscious habits usually occur with a trigger in your life. It could be an event, situation, or some person instantly ignites that response. You have to be aware of this and not resist it.
For me, it was work and lifestyle stress. Change usually brings this on, and during my time of eating without awareness, I am experiencing what I believe is some uncontrollable vent or feelings in my life. It’s always because I’m unhappy with something, someone, or forcing myself to do something I don’t want to. My theory is that sometimes we have to push ourselves into doing what’s needed so eventually we can do what we wish to full time. This takes patience and lots of care. Everyone has dreams and aspirations for themselves and their life. We have to keep working on them every day and know that when things get tough, we may veer off course — but we can always pull ourselves back.
My most significant piece of advice for you is this- know what your triggers are and face them. It would be best if you stopped ignoring why you keep doing that particular thing, causing you to feel bad about yourself. Crack yourself open like a shell, and be transparent and honest. Only then will you know how to overcome it. We can’t escape fear; all we can do is face it and then deal with the problem.
I hope you found this article helpful, and I would love you to upvote it if you did. Please also join me on my various social platforms and do go ahead and download your Empowering habit changer guide. I’m also on Instagram.
