Self Sabotage Archives - Finding the Meaning in Everyday Life

The Christmas Cookies Are Calling Me

We have entered a season of baked goods. Christmas cookies, candies, cakes, and nut breads will be everywhere. I swear to you that the Christmas cookies call my name. The tapping exercise below was one of my favorites from Don’t Diet and it seems appropriate as we approach this food-laden holiday season.

Setup (tapping the karate chop point): Those Christmas cookies are calling my name. “Eat me!” I’m sure you must hear them. I’m feeling powerless to resist and that bothers me somewhat. On the other hand, there is a part of me that hopes I will give in. That conflict between giving in and resisting takes an awful lot of energy. Even though I feel like the cookies are calling me, I choose to remember that I have options. Even though a part of me wants to give in, I choose to remember my long-term plans. Even though part of me wants to resist, I choose to remember that one cookie wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I have choices. I have power. I love and accept myself, no matter which choice I make.

Eyebrow…Those Christmas Cookies

Side of Eye…I really want one, or two, or twelve

Under the Eye…That is the problem

Under the Nose…I’m not sure I can stop at just one

Chin…And if I give in to one

Collarbone…I’m likely to eat the whole batch

Under the Arm…One cookie would make me feel good

Top of Head…Several would make me feel sick

Eyebrow…And a whole batch would make me feel like a failure

Side of Eye…Cookies don’t really talk

Under the Eye…They aren’t calling me

Under the Nose…I am choosing to focus on the fact that they exist

Chin…That is a choice I am making

Collarbone…I could get busy with something else

Under the Arm…They will still be there later

Top of Head…It’s not a choice I have to make right now

Eyebrow…It might be interesting to see if I still hear them after a warm bath

Side of Eye…Do I still hear them after a good workout?

Under the Eye…Are they as loud if I am playing a game?

Under the Nose…Cookies can’t control me

Chin…Sounds like I’m worried that I can’t control me either

Collarbone…Either decision I make is okay

Under the Arm…I choose to love myself, with or without the cookies

Top of Head…I choose to accept myself, with or without the cookies

Happy Tapping

My Cravings Always Win

Although this is not as true as it used to be, I do sometimes feel my cravings always win. Some days are definitely worse than others. What follows is a tapping exercise for those rough days. One way to make this even more effective is to have the item you are craving right there where you can see it and smell it. If you choose that option please be sure to rate the intensity of your craving on the 0-10 scale (10 is severe) before you get started.

Setup (while tapping the karate chop point): Even thought it seems like my cravings always win, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway. Even though it seems like my cravings always win, I choose to continue to try. My cravings are part of me, and I accept myself.

Eyebrow…My cravings always win

Side of Eye…So it doesn’t seem worth it to even try to resist

Under the Eye…I might as well just go ahead and eat it

Under the Nose…If I fight it and then lose, I just end up feeling worse

Chin…Even though it seems that my cravings always win

Collarbone…I know that it isn’t really true

Under the Arm…Sometimes I am able to resist

Top of Head…I am open to learning about what makes me more successful

Eyebrow…At one time and less successful at another

Side of Eye…My cravings don’t always win

Under the Eye…My cravings sometimes win

Under the Nose…In reality, my cravings aren’t against me

Chin…They are part of me

Collarbone…My cravings are a signal that something needs my attention

Under the Arm…I can choose to deal with it with or without food

Top of Head…I can choose to continue toward my goals

Take a deep breath and let it out. Now say the statement aloud “My cravings always win” and re-rate the intensity. What do you notice now? Did anything shift? Once the intensity is at or below a 3, consider tapping on what your cravings might be signaling for you.

My Brain is Lying To Me Right Now

Did you know that your brain can tell lies? Perhaps it would be more kind to say that it misinterprets information. The end result is the same. There have been multiple times when I have thought that I was hungry but my brain is lying.

Setup (while tapping your karate chop point): Even though my brain is lying to me right now and telling me I am hungry, I choose to remember that I ate a short while ago and this is just a misperception. Even though my brain is lying to me right now and telling me that I should eat, I choose to remember my health goals. Even though my brain is telling me I am hungry, I know that this cannot be the truth and I choose not to eat based on a lie.

Eyebrow…I can’t sleep because I’m hungry

Side of Eye…I want to get up out of bed and get a snack

Under the Eye…That will help me sleep

Under the Nose…No one can fall asleep when they are hungry

Chin…Certainly not me

Collarbone…But I know I’m not really hungry

Under the Arm…I ate a healthy meal just a few hours ago

Top of Head…My body got everything it needed

Eyebrow…What I’m feeling right now isn’t really hungry

Side of Eye…That is just what my brain is calling it

Under the Eye…I am probably tired, frustrated, angry, lonely, sad, or uncomfortable

Under the Nose…Food won’t fix any of those things

Chin…In fact, eating more food than my body needs will only make them worse

Collarbone…I choose to eat based on facts, not lies, misinterpretations, or misperceptions

Under the Arm…Even though I am convinced that I am hungry right now

Top of Head…I choose to love and accept myself just as I am.

Just Because Its There

I confess. Sometimes I eat food just because it is there. I don’t think it really is out of boredom because I’m almost never bored. I have lots of things that I want to do and enjoy doing. Perhaps it is just habit.

In the tapping example below I have added a tapping point that isn’t part of my regular tapping routine. It is labeled wrists. At the point turn the underside of your wrists toward each other and tap them together.

Setup (while tapping karate chop point): Even though I have a tendency to eat food just because it is there, I love and accept myself, even though I have unhealthy behaviors. Even though I eat food without any real good reason, I am learning to love and accept myself anyway. Even though I eat food, and I don’t even know why, I choose to love and accept myself anyway.

Eyebrow…I seem to eat food for no good reason

Side of Eye…If it is there — I eat it

Under the Eye…I eat food even when I’m not hungry

Under the Nose…Heck, sometimes I eat food that I don’t particularly like

Chin…My tendency to eat food just because it is available

Collarbone…Is not good for my body

Under the Arm…And when I notice what I am doing

Wrists…I feel like a failure

Top of Head…This tendency to constantly eat is not a behavior that I want to continue

Eyebrow…I’ve tried to manage it by not having food around

Side of Eye…But that isn’t realistic

Under the Eye…I can limit the choices, but it won’t stop my overeating

Under the Nose…I don’t really believe that I eat food just because it is there

Chin…I believe there is another reason. One I am not yet aware of

Collarbone…When I catch myself eating I choose to stop and consider why

Under the Arm…There is a reason behind everything I do

Wrists…It is up to me to figure out why

Top of Head…Then I can change my behavior more easily.

Breaking the Rules

Today I broke the rules. Some people might not think that this is too serious. I didn’t break any laws. I didn’t cheat at any games. I ate pasta for dinner. I’m sure it doesn’t seem like much to you, but to me it is quite disappointing. When it comes to my food, I don’t like breaking the rules.

Rule #1. Don’t eat when you aren’t hungry. I had a snack earlier. I drove toward town and stopped at my favorite Italian restaurant and ordered gluten free pasta. Its a great place where they really understand my allergies and cook off-menu for me. My motivation…I was tired of eating salad, felt frazzled from work, and just wanted some relief.

Rule #2. Don’t eat any starchy carbs after 5 pm. I know that eating late in the evening is bad for me, so I load most of my calories before 5, and try to eat raw fruit and veggies in the evening if I’m hungry. This was definitely a plate of starchy carbs, and there were very few vegetables involved.

Rule #3. Drink a full glass of water before eating meals. I didn’t drink any water at all, and none before the meal. I already know that thirst wasn’t what was driving my behavior, but it might have helped me to slow down. If there had been a video camera on me I bet I would have seen myself actually shoveling the food in.

Rule #4. Use tapping before eating anything that isn’t on my meal plan. I want to know that I’ve dealt with my emotional baggage BEFORE reaching for food. No tapping before this meal.

These aren’t rules given to me by anyone else. These were my own rules and I couldn’t – or wouldn’t – follow them. Luckily I get a redo tomorrow. I’m not going to spend a lot of time beating myself up for it. One meal of pasta isn’t a disaster but I do know that it is sometimes hard for me to get back on track after starchy carbs.

Here are the tapping topics I see in my very near future:

stress eating
resistance to following my plan
using food for emotions instead of eating for fuel
forgiveness for being an imperfect human

How about you? Did you have challenges with food today? Did you stumble or overcome them? Did you tap?

Exercise Avoidance

Have you ever skipped a planned workout because you just didn’t want to go? Meridian tapping can help to keep you on track for your health and fitness goals. This is actually a pretty old video. Much has changed since I filmed it. I’ve moved twice, broken my arm, and changed jobs. My commitment to exercise has not changed, but the way I go about it has. I typically don’t go to the gym anymore and now do most of it at home. I’m also thinking about increasing movement rather than increasing the number or repetitions.

Don’t get me wrong, I still set goals for time, speed, and incline when on the treadmill, monitor the number of steps per day on my smart phone, and get excited if I can add weight when lifting. Setting and working toward goals is a part of my personality. In terms of health though, frequent movement seems to be as important as intense movement.

Even though I remain committed, there are days when I just have trouble getting started. That is when tapping really comes to my rescue.

Letting It Be Easy

Do you make things harder than they have to be? I know that I sometimes do. There have been many occasions when I’ve struggled through a task, and on completion been amazed (and distressed) when I realize that it could have been much simpler or easier than I made it. Perhaps it is prior programming that taught me that things worth having require work, or maybe it is the number of past experiences when change was truly difficult. I suspect that I have just been getting in my own way much of the time. This tapping video is about letting things be easier whenever that is possible and at least not making them needlessly difficult.

Potato Chips

Vegetable chips are good for you, right? Well they were probably better for me than potato chips. I still ate too many of them and I ate them too late at night to be good for me. I didn’t feel very good about that so I decided to tap. Here is what I came up with. If you have suggestions for improvement, let me know.

Setup (while tapping karate chop point). Tonight my problem was potato chips. At least they weren’t regular potato chips. These were fancy vegetable chips. While I’d like to feel better about that, the truth is that I ate too much. Too many calories. Too late at night. I wish I had more control over my snacking. And tonight my problem was potato chips. In spite of this, I choose to love and accept myself anyway. Even though I ate more than I think is good for me, I choose to honor and accept myself. Even though my eating feels like it was out of control, I deeply and complete love, respect, and accept myself.

Eyebrow…I ate potato chips tonight

Side of Eye…I didn’t measure them

Under the Eye…I ate too many of them

Nose…That makes me feel bad

Chin…Physically and mentally

Collarbone…I wish I had more control over my eating

Under the Arm…Really, I wish I didn’t need to control my eating at all

Top of Head…I’d like to eat whatever I want, whenever I want it

Eyebrow…But that isn’t the reality of my body and my metabolism

Side of Eye…I am open to understanding more about why I continue to overeat

Under the Eye…I am open to learning to tap before eating any snack foods

Nose…I’d rather deal with whatever I’m trying to “feed”

Chin…Instead of hurting my body

Collarbone…I can change this pattern one bite at a time

Under the Arm…I have the tools

Top of Head…Now I just need to use them

Exercise Avoidance

Have you ever skipped a planned workout because you didn’t want to go? Or if you workout at home, have you skipped a workout because you just didn’t feel like doing it? I have. This video demonstrates how you can use tapping to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals.

Cookies

Have you ever done it? I mean, have you ever eaten a whole box of cookies…..all at once? Before you say no, think about Girl Scout Cookie time and the box of Thin Mints. I’m not proud to say it, but I’ve done it…..more than once. Even if you haven’t done it, and you’ve eaten more than you actually intended to, this tapping may help.

Setup (tapping on karate chop point): Even though I just ate a whole box of cookies, I choose to look forward to the day I can control my eating better. Even though I just ate a whole box of cookies, I am open to learning more about why I did it. Even though I just ate a whole box of cookies, I choose to feel hopeful that I can do better in the future.

Eyebrow…I just ate the whole box of cookies

Side of Eye…That was more than a whole day’s calories

Under the Eye…I ate way more calories than my body needs

Nose…It was a lot of sugar

Chin…And a lot of unhealthy fats

Collarbone…The first one tasted good

Under the Arm…Actually, the second one tasted good too

Top of Head…After that I was really just chasing the rush that the first two gave me

Eyebrow…I know why I started eating them

Side of Eye…I was upset

Under the Eye…And I just wanted to feel better

Nose…The sugar worked for a while

Chin…And that taste brings back happy memories

Collarbone…And food always works

Under the Arm…For a while

Top of Head…But then I felt bad

Eyebrow…I felt bad because I did something that wasn’t healthy for me

Side of Eye…And it didn’t solve the problem

Under the Eye…For a minute or two I felt better

Nose…But then I went back to feeling upset

Chin…And guilty about the cookies

Collarbone…I choose to forgive myself for eating the cookies

Under the Arm…I choose to forgive myself for not wanting to feel upset

Top of Head…I choose to learn from this and move forward confidently