Last I checked, you cannot feed your emotional and/or spiritual hunger with FOOD. It might be nice if we could?!
Hey ho: I have just a couple of spots left in the BETA run of a digital course called Choose 2 Think when Your Soul Is Hungry. Claim your spot today! DM to sign up or visit my website for more info. This beta course is completely free and is open to 7 people. It launches March 2. Let me know if you have questions! :) There are just a few spots left for anyone interested in overcoming toxic thinking related to food hang-ups and issues for a BETA run of a faith-based digital course I am creating.
The PROBLEM The course is designed for those folks who may be sick and tired of being a slave to "food" and who may use food as a comfort crutch. The ideal student may also struggle with body image and negative self-talk. I should know! I've been there! But now I can share with you tips and tricks to achieving optimal health and emotional well-being. And it's all free! The COST $0 The course is absolutely FREE in this Beta run -- But this is what I will need from you:
And that's it! The Beta course called: Choose 2 Think...when Your Soul Is Hungry launches on March 2 and runs for 6 weeks. It is designed for group study and/or partner study - so consider asking a friend to join you! But you can also take a go at it solo! I am looking for students who are sincerely interested and are willing to dedicate time to watching the weekly videos and completing the homework. The PROMISE
Students who participate in this course will have lifetime access to the polished and regularly updated course. You can come back whenever you'd like at no charge whatsoever in case you need a refresher. You can look at this free trial, online Beta course as a Boot Camp of sorts for your brain! The impact will not only positively affect your eating habits, but I'd venture to say that your overall outlook on life, hardships, and dealing with stress will be mightily impacted as well. Private message me if you are interested and/or if you have additional questions. Please feel free to share this post. You are Guaranteed to LOSE!
BUT This is NOT a diet program in any way. This is NOT a medical program in any form. We count NOTHING in this class, not carbs, not calories, not steps. Though you may not lose pounds, you CAN plan to lose those thoughts and mindsets that are sabotaging your health and well-being! I'm looking for 7 individuals interested in overcoming toxic thinking related to food hang-ups and issues for a BETA run of a faith-based digital course I am creating. The PROBLEM The course is designed for those folks who may be sick and tired of being a slave to "food" and who may use food as a comfort crutch. The ideal student may also struggle with body image and negative self-talk. I should know! I've been there! But now I can share with you tips and tricks to achieving optimal health and emotional well-being. And it's all free! The COST $0 The course is absolutely FREE in this Beta run -- But this is what I will need from you:
And that's it! The Beta course called: Choose 2 Think...when Your Soul Is Hungry launches on March 2 and runs for 6 weeks. It is designed for group study and/or partner study - so consider asking a friend to join you! But you can also take a go at it solo! I am looking for students who are sincerely interested and are willing to dedicate time to watching the weekly videos and completing the homework. The PROMISE
Students who participate in this course will have lifetime access to the polished and regularly updated course. You can come back whenever you'd like at no charge whatsoever in case you need a refresher. You can look at this free trial, online Beta course as a Boot Camp of sorts for your brain! The impact will not only positively affect your eating habits, but I'd venture to say that your overall outlook on life, hardships, and dealing with stress will be mightily impacted as well. Private message me if you are interested and/or if you have additional questions. Please feel free to share this post. Existential angst deals with the general unease we may feel as humans regarding our existence on this earth. It can create a bit of tug of war between our mind/heart and our body. As I see it, there are two different kinds of angst that center around 1) our physical world (just the normal life stuff like paying bills, waiting in line at Kroger, taking a walk around town, etc.) and 2) all things spiritual. Often it's hard to tear the two apart because they are so intricately woven together. We know a steady breakfast of coffee and donuts is not good for us, yet it seems to be what we crave. We know that forgiving our mate for the unkind things they said is wise, yet we struggle to let go. We can feel overwhelmed by the political and societal trends of the world around us. We may know we are significant and unique, but, on the other hand, we feel powerless and unworthy at times. These types of scenarios create inside us a sense of existential angst. [Heck! Just losing my car keys is enough to drive me bonkers!] We're happy, but not quite. We're satisfied, but not quite. We're fine, thank you very much, but not quite. We want God to be our first love, but we also don't. Let's dig deeper. Have you ever felt like your heart is at perfect peace, your joy abounds, you are fulfilled and satisfied? And then other times, you are listless, restless, disgruntled, uneasy, out of sorts? I have. Although my thought life has taken a 360, and I am more skilled and habitual about taking toxic thoughts captive than I ever have been in my life, sometimes I have this one little stumbling block called fear that gets in my way. The next one in line is lack of trust. When I am afraid, I long for comfort. When I am distrustful, I doubt and become skeptical. Okay, so we recognize the ups and downs of our lives physically and spiritually. But what is the purpose of existential angst? It's two-fold. 1) It shows us we may have a problem. Kinda a no-brainer, huh? If I am perpetually irritable and often arriving late to work, I've created a recipe for angst. I need to acknowledge the problem, and then I can move into a few solutions, such as getting up earlier, delegating morning tasks, removing some to-do items from my list, etc. 2) Existential angst pushes to the surface whom or what we love. Our hearts are lonely hunters, always on the look-out to find and be loved, to discover worth and be deemed worthy. Like she camels in heat, we paw the ground, sniff the air, and quite desperately, impatiently search for a "mate." Unfortunately, just about any mate will do. (See Jeremiah 2 for more details.) Allow me to expound just a bit on point two. God created us to desire love and to desire to be loved. He made us to want to find worth and to be found worthy and accepted. This is the great, divinely initiated HUNGER, that voracious void that gnaws in our veins. But no worries, friend. We WILL satisfy that appetite for love and worth all right. We will stuff ourselves with our jobs, our spouses, our friends, our food, our money, our things, our exploits, our titles, our appearance.... What, dear friend, is the Love of your life? What gets most of your attention? For whom do you work, toil, seek validation, approval, acceptance, comfort, identity? How do you deal with existential angst? Basically whatever we are "obsessed" with is what we truly love. Whatever we give our mental time and energy to is what we love. As Christ followers, we may be ashamed to admit our struggles. We may feel embarrassed to let others know that we are not exactly the victorious Christian sojourners we were essentially designed to be. It seems if we do confess the trappings of our flesh and the spiritual battles we are facing, the conclusion is that we don't exactly reflect the glory of God. It may have something to do with displaced or misordered love. As humans, we are wired to latch. Wired to cling. Wired to love. Often our human tendencies, our addictions come as the result of misplaced or disordered love. Our general come back is...."Well, my life conditions may stink, but inside I have the joy and peace of my salvation." Yes. That is the clincher, but what difference does God say that very fact should have in your life? In other words, in the core of our souls we know we are saved. We managed to grab hold of eternal life by the mercy and grace of God and the work of Christ. We are regenerate souls, having tapped into joy everlasting. How should this knowledge affect how we live? Frankly, I have a good deal of existential angst...and, on the one hand, I think this is kinda normal for Christians. After all, this is not our home. Not only does God instill deeply in us to our very core the desire for love and worth, He also sets "eternity" there. This means we will never be quite satisfied here, in every situation, 100% of the time. We may have moments of divine revelation and joy. We may learn to live in and walk in God's divine peace. We may even dance with the great King and feel His presence as He delights over us. That I can willfully chose to place God and only God on the throne of my heart is perhaps the greatest privilege I may ever be given. The truth is, I don't want to have displaced, out of order love in my life, but sometimes I recognize that I do! Sometimes I am afraid that what God says is really too good to be true. I want to live with abandoned trust, love, adoration toward Him, but sometimes I'm scared of what this might mean. Ah, there's the rub. And now you know why I spend so much of my energy and time writing about thoughts and why I've built a ministry about gratitude. Our thinking drives our emotions and actions. If there is nothing else I can do, I can at least choose the proper thoughts. This gives me the greatest opportunity to live a fulfilled, contented life on this earth despite the angst (practical or spiritual) I'm sure to experience along the way. And I don't want to miss the purpose that God has for me either. My life is not about me. Of course, it starts with me, but ultimately it must be about serving others and sharing the love of Christ. I can best fulfill this objective when my thoughts are healthy and filled with God's truth. Bottom line: Setting God first in your heart and mind has the power to influence the day-to-day existential angst you may experience. The spiritual trumps the physical. To sum it all up, in my humble opinion, some existential angst is Biblical - we are not of this world (John 15:19) and God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:11). However, existential angst that results from not loving God before all others and from not loving Him with all our hearts and minds...well, that's sin and must break His heart. If the purpose of existential angst is to help us discover that we have a problem and that God may not be "seated" in the #1 spot in our lives for our love, devotion, and attention, what are we to do? We acknowledge the angst. And we muster the courage to:
If you want to put God first above everyone and everything else, well, that is a very, very good start to discovering the secret to a life well-lived and fulfilled. Start exercising your heart and mind toward achieving that desire. Choose to think properly and truthfully. Ask God to heal your heart and mind. He will do it in His good timing.
If you'd like to complete a few exercises about taking those toxic thoughts captive, check out the FREEBIES tab above for worksheets and exercises to get you on your way to a healthy heart and mind. And thanks so much for stopping by! I have recently been on a quest to get to the bottom of my impulsive over-munching which I believe I can't quite blame on that post-menopausal weight gain. I am determined to find new strategies to help my thoughts and brain deal with making better split-second decisions that positively impact both my physical and emotional health and well-being. First let's divide our decision making into two separate camps. CAMP 1: There are those rational, analytical, evidence-based, pro/con decisions that we may spend days or even weeks trying to analyze and consider, such as buying a car, setting goals, and selecting a new wall color. We do our research, turn over every "stone," seek counsel, come at it from many angles, make lists of the pros and cons and their outcomes, weigh each selection, etc., and then we execute. Often these types of decision results are not irrevocable, although they may be costly in time, money, and energy. We can readily learn from any "mistakes" in this arena and position ourselves to do considerably better in the future if need be. CAMP 2 Then there is another decision making camp that is more reactionary and survival based. We don't have days or weeks to come to a decision -- we must act quickly and now! Those decisions you make during a crisis, like seeing a snake on the trail or a baby bear cub in the distance as you're deep in the forest, are often instinctual and lead you to fight or to flee. The more prepared and rehearsed you are in advance for these types of situations, the better the outcomes. (Hence all the tornado and fire drills you remember from your school days.) Often, survival based decisions are not only triggered by immediate threats. And THIS is what is so curious to me! Those fight/flight reactions also are driven by the emotions and hormones that surround them. These triggers can actually be situation-based such as when we find ourselves without much sleep, feeling irritable, hungry, angry, lonely, afraid, or conflicted. And herein lies the crux of this issue of impulsive eating. Stay with me on this. I've discovered that when I am experiencing a negative emotion or feeling, my fight/flight mechanism automatically engages and before I even know it, I am downing that bag of Doritos or that row of Oreo cookies. Why? The answer is kinda simple: My brain is telling me to find immediate relief, distraction, comfort, security...and junk food always delivers. Basically, we've just painted a pretty good picture of the cycle of destructive behavior that may lead to addiction. The great news is that because I now understand what is going on, I can develop a new strategy to starve impulsive eating (pun? is this possible?... :) okay let's say "stave off" instead) that is fueled by my emotions and conditions. I can learn to calm myself down by de-activating that crisis mode status that creates a domino effect that only leads me to a bulging waistline, increased discouragement, and added frustration. We can apply these tips to just about any tempting behavior (not just mindless munching) we tend to succumb to, such as impulse spending or choosing to say something that we really shouldn't! TOP 3 TIPS TO OVERCOME IMPULSIVE DECISION MAKING
What we're doing is not easy. Basically, when the "arrow" launches, it is too late. We are trying to learn to recognize what is making us pick up the bow in the first place and then train ourselves not to pick it up--ALL within a split second! When a part of our brain is engaged to fight or flee but there is no real danger, we have to take an emotional step toward slowing things down, buying time in order to disengage the temptation to respond impulsively. We essentially encourage ourselves that what appears to be a danger is not really a danger at all. The alarm is sounding, but there's nothing to fear! Hit the snooze button and make a choice to settle down yourself down. So the trick to handle the trigger thoughts to stuff our sweet little bellies is to keep an extremely close watch on the thermostat of our emotions and feelings (those pesky, uncomfortable triggers). Then, when our hands reach for a "book" to guide us in that conditional scenario, we need to ask God if that book contains wise and truthful information. BOOT CAMP: RETRAIN MY BRAIN It's long been known that our brain is an entity of chemical habit. The more we think about something, the more fixed it becomes in our brain (good, bad, or ugly). Pathways are firmly set in place. Some studies suggest that we are making decisions way in advance. Neuro-scientists have even been able to predict someone's decision literally seconds in advance! Again, good news for us! This tells me that I can retrain my brain to think about healthy reactions to take when I need comfort or distraction. I can choose to eliminate from my emotional perception library those "books" that are false, destructive, and contrary to God's Truth. After all, food (or any vice) was never designed to nourish my soul. It can't. It's not the function of food (or drugs or sex or money or success or fame...) to do this. In other words, if I decide to wash my car with maple syrup in an attempt to clean it, I only complicate the process and I will not make it to my desired outcome. What I need to use to clean my car is soap and water. So how do we find nourishment for our soul? I've looked in so many places over my life, but I've ultimately found there is One who can truly fill my soul, quenching all spiritual thirst and hunger that incessantly and greedily gnaws on my soul. He's the whole package that I have ever needed: A Loving Father, A Sacrificial Son, and A Powerful Comforter. The key is walking in that relationship practically and personally every moment of every day. But how? In other words, how is it that I would ever choose Doritos and Oreos over GOD? Well, welcome to the human condition and a fallen world. Of course, my condition could never condone or excuse my behavior and choices, but it does explain them to some degree. YET GOD. Humankind is conditioned to want instant and fast, yet God doesn't always work that way. We want that immediate dopamine hit, yet God sometimes delivers a steady flow or needs us to patiently wait. We hide from God, yet He wants full exposure. We want quick distraction from discomfort, yet God says "focus on me." We give way to temptation, yet God desires we resist and operate with self-control. We chase the "Baals" of this world, yet God says, "I am all you need." You still with me? Let's take a deep breath and regroup a second in our quest to practice self-control in the heat of the moment. First, we constantly monitor our thought life, emotions, and feelings. Second, when the needle drops to what our brain perceives to be a danger zone, we pause giving ourselves time to analyze the situation. Third, we decide to handle the "danger" in a healthy and favorable manner. We ask for the Holy Spirit to help us, to invade our soul! In this way, we disengage the temptation, and we "stuff" ourselves with God instead of those dratted Doritos. Let's also remember that we need a prayerful plan in advance to help us gain the victory. I'm going to put this 3-tip plan into action today, AND I am going to mentally prepare to be tempted especially during those times of the day that I know I may be tired or irritable, like late at night when Netflix beckons. How about you? Wanna give it a go? Please leave a comment below or shoot me a quick email to victoria4ggus@yahoo.com. I would love to chat about this with you! I, the LORD, am your God, |
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