Untangle Emotional Overeating and Overspending

Untangle Emotional Overeating and Overspending And Become More "User-friendly" Toward Yourself
By: Luise Volta

Many of us have a variety of hidden emotional barometer that is all too easy to read in our behaviors. Yet we often don't see the connection between how we feel and how we act until we are, yet again, at the effect of some variety of overindulgence. Then we have to wonder how making ourselves feel so rotten seemed to be the cure for feeling so rotten. Truth be told, action and reaction often need to be sorted out.

Seminars galore address this issue, yet successful seminar leaders like Geneen Roth whose "Food Is Food and Love Is Love" seminars have drawn thousands over the last three decades are quick to say that they all too often see the same faces out there in the audience again and again.

Bookstore shelves are overflowing with handy, "How To" missals promising relief from what...our selves? How can anyone promise us that we will stop doing what we always do and start doing something else? It seems that not only do the hundreds of self-help books out there say just that, a huge amount of money is involved in the telling and selling.

We always have the time-worm solution of standing up and being counted. If we can once we get past the latest shortcut, we can still decide to take the long, slow route of being responsible for our own well-being. What a novel concept! Right?

The first indicator is often missed or seen and ignored. It's how we feel at any given moment. Our behavior is often pretty predictable. If we are willing to take a look at feeling a little too "high", we can wonder why and maybe put our guard up regarding the guaranteed spiral downward that will eventually follow. Elation is fun and depression isn't...for most of us. We can't always stay on an even keel and who really wants too? My point is that we can learn to do a better job of monitoring ourselves and have some antidotes ready.

Exercise is one of the best levelers there is. A good strong power-walk with a personally programmed iPod that offers 126 beats a minute, (or more if you can hack it), can change the world, as perceived at any given moment. There is a lot of power walking music available on the web for all ages and tastes that can make it fun. We're not taking saunter here...that's the reason for the "power" prefix.

Once aerobic walking is taken on and practiced regularly it's possible to adjust the practice to our own body rhythms. Some of us need to do it early in the day and before eating. I do. I've noticed that once my mind starts taking over, my body doesn't get the consideration it deserves. Psychologically, a win under my belt at the beginning of the day sets a nice pace. Adding Yoga also works well for many of us.

Just being aware of our feelings is a start toward seeing what they promote. Eating when we're not hungry and spending when we don't need the article or can't afford it are red flags. They can offer a euphoric sense of being loved that doesn't even consider indigestion, weight gain, and/or having nightmares about bankruptcy. Noting fluctuating feelings can alert us to the possibility of making better choices by deciding to sidestep doing what doesn't work. Sometimes just stopping for a bit and taking a break with a tall glass of cool water and a good book can do it.

Our "out" is to get to know our selves better and to support our selves more intelligently. Try this "what if". What if you were your own best friend?

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Luise Volta's life has included careers in nursing, teaching pre-school, interior design, Real Estate sales, insurance adjusting, and dairy herd testing. Visit for Nutrition and Health.