Sometimes, my “stress level” feels so high that I just don’t care about eating healthy, avoiding sugar, getting out to exercise etc. I literally hear myself saying “I don’t care, I feel so down, I’m just going to eat this candy bar”. Recently, I’ve been meditating on that phrase “I don’t care”. As a word nerd, I looked up the origin of the word "care" and found many different origins, including “concern, anxiety, sorrow, grief and lament”. If I plug in those words, I get the following:
- “I’m not concerned that I’m eating sugar to manage stress”
- “I don’t have anxiety about eating sugar to manage stress”.
- “I don’t have any sorrow/grief that I’m eating sugar to manage stress”.
- “I don’t lament the fact that I’m eating sugar to manage stress”.
Guess what? None of these sentences are true!!! I am definitely concerned, anxious, sad and I definitely lament the fact that I am eating too much sugar. I know what excess sugar does to our bodies and our moods. So I now see that I really do care that I’m eating sugar when I feel sad or disappointed or worried (which seems to be every day at this point). I DO CARE!! What a great thing to notice. I’m guessing that you all care about the things you are doing (or not doing) for your wellness as well. Maybe a better thing to tell ourselves is “I do care that I’m eating this candy bar because I’m stressed, but I’m going to choose to eat it anyway (or choose to not eat it). I care about myself and I will work on finding better ways to deal with my stress (phone a friend, write in my journal, punch a pillow, take a walk in nature (brrrr), have a good cry, take a bath, get in my car and scream etc., etc.). What are some things that you can do to make yourself feel better right now?? This is all part of our health and wellness and I’m always here to discuss. Reach out to me here if you need to talk!!
