Put Yourself First On Your To-Do List!
I am delighted to share a guest blog by my emotional eating expert, Dr. Denise Lamothe, author of The Taming of the Chew. I have come to regard Dr. Denise’s work with the utmost respect after seeing her in action all over the country.
Please let me know what you think of this excerpt:
“This excerpt from my latest book The Appetite Connection focuses on our emotions and the importance of “feeling good” to attract more “feel good” experiences. But, if we are physically depleted it is difficult to work on our emotional well-being.
Many years ago I met Ann Louise and was immediately impressed with her vast knowledge and genuine caring. I traveled extensively with her and brought her Fat Flush cleanse and weight loss programs back to New Hampshire.
I have used her teachings in my own life and with hundreds of clients. She is a teacher, a guide and a fabulous role model. If you want to feel great, look great and create the body and life you long for, I suggest you cleanse twice a year and follow the principles of the Fat Flush Program. It is based in solid science and is a most effective way to eat delicious food, enjoy amazing shakes and feel better.
Why is something so basic and natural as putting yourself first seem so difficult?
It seems so simple to say we must make ourselves number one on our list of people to care for. It only makes sense that we do so. The better we attend to ourselves, the better we feel. The better we feel, the more pleasant we are to be around, and so the more connected to others we are. We thrive when we are in healthy relationships and our self-esteem improves. We have more energy, more fun, and it just gets better and better.
All those around us benefit from our good feelings as well. We radiate love and happiness and paradoxically we then become better equipped not only to handle the demands of our lives but also to take care of others that we may choose to care for. So, this is how it is. The more we pay attention to ourselves and keep ourselves feeling positive, the more energy we have to attend to others.
Attention is not a limited commodity. Many of us think that if we are cherishing and honoring ourselves we are somehow diminishing others. This makes no sense, but most of us may never have stopped to think of it in this way.
The exact opposite is true.
Think of the Law of Attraction, which states, “That which is like unto itself is drawn” (or “like attracts like”). Therefore, the more positive thoughts you have, the more positive you feel, and the more positive experiences and feelings you will attract to yourself. When you are in this place of positive energy, you have an abundance of energy to share. The opposite is equally true.
If you deprive yourself through dieting and neglecting your own needs, you will not be very happy. When you are feeling unhappy, you are attracting more negative experiences and feelings of unhappiness to you, and your negative feelings expand.
You feel discouraged, tired, and have little or no energy. You are not able to take care of yourself very well and are certainly not in the mood to take care of anyone else. This usually results in feelings of guilt and shame, lowered self-esteem, and increased negative feelings.
So why is it so hard to make yourself number one?
I often ask women who come into my office where they are on their list of priorities and often discover that they are either very close to the bottom or they are not on their list at all. They profess that their waking hours are consumed with important tasks they must complete for their families and friends and to meet the demands of their jobs.
Some of these women have children to care for. Some do not. Some have jobs that require much time and attention. Some do not. But what all have in common is a distinct inability to attend to their own important needs. Ignoring their own needs explains why women so often grab sugars, fats and simple carbohydrates to dull their feelings.
If you are living your life in service of everyone else and neglecting yourself, you are telling yourself that you do not deserve to be treated as well as the others. You are giving yourself a clear message that you are not important and somewhere deep inside you know that you are!
It is inevitable that you will feel resentful and negative and, as mentioned above, you will attract more negative feelings and find yourself more eager than ever to wrap your hand around a big chocolate bar. You know you can count on the sweet relief it will deliver–at least for a few minutes. It will distract you from your feelings but what will you do after that pleasant numbing wears off?”
Don’t miss these incredible motivators!
Thanks for this excellent article and the reminder to take care of ourselves.
On December 24, Lewis was brought into the shelter barking and
growling. I want you to print several images of this particular
resolution and keep in a folder or file. Using cotton swab:
Take a rectangular piece of paper.