Im glad that Im seeing that I dont have to grow in size to feel safe today....

hm. cryptic. bottom line, Are you safe today?

Hi - Welcome! "Different ways to grow" is an interesting topic. What do you mean, exactly?

I can trust myself today not to hurt myself with food in order to feel safe or grounded (like food ever worked to start with).....that realization is growth for me...

You know that's interesting, gloriacoto. I eat when I'm feeling stressed. (I can feel stressed if someone speaks to me before I've had my coffee, so...)

Does that mean I eat to feel safe? I suppose so, really. I know when I was younger I have to process a LOT of issues about feeling safe vs feeling attractive and "unsafe." Those aren't issues for me anymore (as far as I know) but, yeah, not food, but fat kept me safe. (Which is another lie, as we all know.)

I'm glad you don't feel like you need to abuse your body with food to feel safe today! That's great. It HUGE of you feel you can trust yourself. Absolutely huge. Good for you.

I never thought that I eat to feel safe, but maybe I do. I have been realizing lately that I eat to hurt myself. I've been trying to figure out why I do that. But I admire that you are giving yourself credit that today you did not need to eat to feel safe.

I like the way you put that.

i know i have typed this before, but there is a very good workbook out there called "the food and feelings work book" by karen koenig.

it was so useful for me to help to think about the connections - deeply seated connections - between my emotional life and my feelings about food.

gloria - i am so heartened to read your words

isolde