Quote:
Originally Posted by PElaine
Anyone else feel that a sense of powerlessness is at the root of their eating?
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Oh, definitely. When changes are happening all around me, and my little world seems to be spinning out of control, then I try to assert my power over what I can. And sometimes the only thing that I seem to have direct control over is my body. Which translates into eating. In my case, I'm also prone to periods of restriction, too. You know how prison inmates sometimes get really into body building, strengthening their bodies as a way of passing their time? That's also a form of controlling one's body because one feels a certain powerlessness. I'm sure my behavior has much the same motivation behind it.
But historically, when I have had feelings of hopelessness & inertia, of feeling trapped -- caged or imprisoned by circumstances out of my control -- I used to hunker down & eaten, as a kind of opiate to get me through my darkest times. Now I sometimes think I've swapped that out for exercise. So I have to watch myself there.