Some people wake up feeling guilty every day. Seriously, I saw it on Dr. Oz. They haven't done anything wrong, but that feeling of needing to apologize is just there. I don't wake up feeling guilty. At least I don't think so. Yet when I read once about a Houston socialite who started each day by looking at herself in the mirror and saying, "Joanne, I forgive you," I was intrigued enough to try it. And I liked it. Turns out all the stupid mistakes I'd made that I thought were in the past had been hanging around my present like bad air pollution, like soul smog. It felt good to clear the air.
Over the last two weeks, I've had another lesson in guilt and the power this emotion has to keep us trapped in unhealthy behaviors. Predictably, my guilt spiral started with cheese. Cheese and the Oscars. See, my sweetheart was out of town on Oscar night, so I had the television all to myself. Oscar-watching isn't a habit with me, but this year I was rooting for Missi Pyle, a childhood friend and part-time vegan who was in "The Artist." She'd be there in an eco-friendly sustainable gown no less. I couldn't wait to watch for her on the red carpet. This called for a bottle of wine! You see where this is going, right? Wine needs cheese. And vegan cheese on a cracker just didn't seem appealing to me.
I rationalized it like, hey, if I only eat cheese every two months, I'll be doing pretty dang good. But cheese and wine have been my downfall so many times. Deep down I know I need to find a new pairing if I'm ever going to achieve the lifelong health I want. So I felt guilty. And that guilt zapped my motivation. Some coconut ice cream, some french fries and a few skipped workouts later, and I haven't lost any weight in two weeks. And I haven't blogged either. Oh my gosh, the guilt! And over what? Some cheese? Some laziness? Clearly, this is the exact insanity that keeps some people in a yo-yo diet cycle.
The most insidious thing about the guilt spiral is that I wasn't conscious of it at all. I mean, if I'd known I was having such pointless guilt, I would have stopped it. To test if you're having pointless guilt, try forgiving yourself in the mirror like the socialite did. You may be surprised to feel a little trickle of relief.
Yours in good health,
Summer
Over the last two weeks, I've had another lesson in guilt and the power this emotion has to keep us trapped in unhealthy behaviors. Predictably, my guilt spiral started with cheese. Cheese and the Oscars. See, my sweetheart was out of town on Oscar night, so I had the television all to myself. Oscar-watching isn't a habit with me, but this year I was rooting for Missi Pyle, a childhood friend and part-time vegan who was in "The Artist." She'd be there in an eco-friendly sustainable gown no less. I couldn't wait to watch for her on the red carpet. This called for a bottle of wine! You see where this is going, right? Wine needs cheese. And vegan cheese on a cracker just didn't seem appealing to me.
I rationalized it like, hey, if I only eat cheese every two months, I'll be doing pretty dang good. But cheese and wine have been my downfall so many times. Deep down I know I need to find a new pairing if I'm ever going to achieve the lifelong health I want. So I felt guilty. And that guilt zapped my motivation. Some coconut ice cream, some french fries and a few skipped workouts later, and I haven't lost any weight in two weeks. And I haven't blogged either. Oh my gosh, the guilt! And over what? Some cheese? Some laziness? Clearly, this is the exact insanity that keeps some people in a yo-yo diet cycle.
The most insidious thing about the guilt spiral is that I wasn't conscious of it at all. I mean, if I'd known I was having such pointless guilt, I would have stopped it. To test if you're having pointless guilt, try forgiving yourself in the mirror like the socialite did. You may be surprised to feel a little trickle of relief.
Yours in good health,
Summer
