A Rare Moment

This past Friday was a pretty bad workday. One of those days when you only barely get out of the office at 6pm. I was lucky it was a Friday! Ok, so I have a bad day and what’s my first reaction? Let go out to dinner and get ice cream!

But Friday was one of those rare moments when I caught myself! I’d had a really crappy day at work and I desperately needed some fun, some pleasure and some relaxation. My first reaction is always to turn to food for the things I need. And, you have to admit, food is easy. It’s far easier to go out to eat than sit and think of other ways to meet my emotional , psychological and physical needs. I know! I actually did it this time!

I evaluated how I was feeling and what exactly I needed. Then I started thinking of other ways I could get what I needed. Here are a couple of my ideas:

· Go out dancing with some girlfriends.

· Go see a movie with my husband. (This was Friday’s winner.)

· Go to the mall and do some shopping. (Granted this is just Retail Therapy, but at least it calorie-less.)

· Rent some movies or grab a book and waste the rest of the evening.

· Go to the spa and get a massage.

· Go for a bike ride. (Note, your destination should not be Cold Stone.)

· Call a friend I haven’t spoken with for a while.

You’ll notice that most of my non-food alternatives involve “go” and other people. Your personality may need more of a “stay” and by-yourself kind of alternative. No matter what you prefer, next time you catch yourself turning to food, take the opportunity to evaluate and do some brainstorming. You’ll feel so much better later on than if you give into your normal inclinations. I did!