I am sooooooooo. . .

I am sooooooooo. . .

“I am so angry.  I am so overwhelmed.  I am so tired.  I am so hurt.  I am so depressed.”

Do these statements of emotions sound familiar to you?  This morning as I write, I wonder—how many times do we overeat because of our emotions?

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week, Gloria and I and Marilyn Schuler from Grinnell attended the Cedar Falls Christian Writers Conference.  Having attended this conference last year, I looked forward to gaining information to help me improve my writing skills and to be inspired to write, write, write.

By Thursday evening, my mind was swirling with information—What did it mean to me to be a successful writer?  What does my heart want me to write? Media in which to publish. . .  Overstimulation caused limited hours of poor sleep.

On Friday, further information swirled through my head—The Five Love Languages for Writers, Creating my Digital Footprint by Using Social Media, Travel Writing. . .By dinnertime my brain was scrambled and my head ached.

Sitting next to Gloria at dinner, eating my second serving of spinach manicotti, I asked, “Why do I get so hungry at these events?”  Quickly, I realized the answer to my question, “I’m not hungry.  I’m eating to stuff down my fatigue, my being overwhelmed, my ignorance.”

My subconscious brain had been asking, ‘How can I comfort myself, make myself feel better?  FOOD!  Of Course’!

As I’ve reflected on emotional eating, I’ve had various thoughts.  The need to begin my day with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to give me strength and guide me in what I do, say, think, feel—and eat.  And to keep my mind focused on Jesus 24/7 as Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (NIV)

If I do this, I pray I can take those emotions to Jesus and talk them over with the Holy One.

                                                                                                                        Sharon Witty

                                                                                                                        June 21, 2018

P.S.  The conference was wonderful with inspiring speakers and fellow participants.

Catch Up Days

Recently, I’ve been doing better on my healthy plan - logging my food, exercising, eating the right foods most of the time, and staying active. But, I’ve noticed I still have one bad day a week. Usually it follows several really good days or a day of heavy exercise. I feel like those bad days undo all the work I’ve done the rest of the week.

So I need to control myself some how on those “catch up days”. Do you have days like that? When you feel you could eat anything in sight or within reach? Maybe our bodies are trying to tell us something. And we should listen. Did I have enough protein the day before? What did I miss on my plate? Was it a balanced diet? Am I constipated? It’s always good to stop and ask yourself why? And it would be best to stop myself before I have the day of non-stop eating.

There are always challenges. Right now these “catch up days” are my problem. I’m searching for answers and will try to do better in the weeks ahead. The important thing is to not give up. ‘Don’t throw the baby out in the bathwater’…so they say. 

Take heart, the Bible says, “The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry,” (Proverbs 13:25 NIV).

Have a blessed day.

Gloria D. Stewart