Emotional eating and journaling; where my issue lies.

One thing I love is having REAL conversations with my clients. The other day a client of mine brought up emotional eating and asked about strategies to help with it. I mentioned journalling as it can be used as a means to get out feelings so bingeing to find comfort in food doesn’t happen. She replied yes, she’s done that but there was little success. I then asked - if she journaled only when those negative feelings start creeping in? She replied yes. And this is where my issue with journalling lies; when you tell someone to journal when they are feeling down they are left with a journal of negative thoughts and feelings. You have a book of problems. Instead what I advise is journaling everyday! This way you are journaling your happiness, blessings, achievements, your journey. This way you are left with a book of life! A book of happiness, goals, achievements, and progress. Yes there will be some hiccups along the way and there will be pages that have your less glamorous moments but when you write things down you acknowledge them on a deeper level. When you write down your happiness and achievements you are spilling those emotions out on paper, you are faced with thinking, writing and reading the blessings in your life - those can be very powerful. Powerful enough to have you eventually realize how amazing of a life you have, how great your achievements are, and how strong of a person you are. When you write down the less glamorous moments or what you might see as failures you are again forced to think, write and read those back. You just might notice that those “problems” really aren't that bad and they are things that are all in your control. Instead of making a big deal about the negative thoughts and only journaling them; make a big deal about your positive thoughts because they are a big deal! Aside from that it is important to understand where those feelings are coming from and why. If they are stemming from feelings of jealousy, envy, or inadequacy then those issues deserve your attention and the sooner you can talk to someone about them or find a way to manage them the better. I personally work with clients who battle “thoughts or issues” and I know it’s not easy to make them go away; but breaking them down and finding healthy ways to cope is a step in the right direction. Journal your happiness xoxo.