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How
to Keep From Gaining a Ton When the Weight of the World
is on Your Shoulders
by
Jennifer Sader
The
last couple of months have been a roller-coaster ride for
me. Not the amusement park kind of roller coaster ride you
look forward to but a real-life version of the roller coasters
featured in your worst nightmare where there are sudden
gaps in the track and you find yourself hurtling full speed
towards doom.
I'm
sitting here waiting for the plumbers to arrive so that
they can fix or replace my hot water heater. The failure
of a major appliance is such small potatoes in the scheme
of things that I'm almost cheerful about it. It pales
in comparison to my dad's recent bypass operation,
my husband's broken car, my incessant worrying about
keeping up with my job and graduate schooling, and the yearly
Christmas credit card bloat, not to mention the endless
holiday buffets threatening my already-tight skinny clothes.
Better Living Through Chemistry
Since I'm a stress overeater, the temptation has been
to dive headfirst into a giant bag of Doritos. So far, I've
resisted the urge. Doritos remorse always leaves me feeling
guilty (not to mention dehydrated from all the salt) which
makes it harder to handle stress. Having the never-welcome
problem of dealing with post-binge pounds is not my bag.
Eating one giant bag of Doritos might not cause serious
gain, but it's certainly not goal-weight-behavior.
I have indulged in the occasional single-serving
bag of Doritos during high stress tides and have even consumed
as many as three. A feat I consider an accomplishment of
sorts. Three little bags is better than one giant one. One
little bag is even better.
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5
Guaranteed to Pick You Up Sources of Support
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When
you're feeling completely overwhelmed and out
of sorts, it's important to seek support as
fast as you can. Accessing support can help
you take your mind off your troubles long enough
to build back up a little strength and self
esteem. Once you start to feel a tiny bit better,
it's not often long until you'll feel a
whole lot better.
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1)
Call your Mom
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2)
Call your significant other or best girlfriend
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3)
Rent an uplifting movie. Anything from "Shrek
2" to "Bridget Jones' Diary"
can work. One advantage to screening movies in
your living room is that you can make your own
healthy (and much less expensive) snacks and the
best part? You get to watch in your P.J.s.
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4)
Log onto a fun web site. I can spend hours at
www.snopes.com
reading about crazy urban legends. I have a friend
whose addicted to Texas Hold'Em on games.yahoo.com
And www.imdb.com
(Internet Movie DataBase) is a good resource for
finding films about certain subjects or starring
your favorite actor (Mine is John Cusack, ever
since I fell in love with him watching "Better
off Dead").
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 5)
Read a book by someone whose overcome the same
challenges you're facing. Passing
for Thin, by Frances Kuffel, is the subject
of my next book review. Of course I can't
give you any of the specifics but I will tell
you I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
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The
Sugar Salt Fat Diet Doesn't Work Wonders
Counting calories or points or even journaling my food is
more than I can mentally handle right now, so instead, I've
been focusing on the basics. I've been loading up on
the good stuff: fruits, vegetables, a few nuts and lean
protein. I've been trying to drink my water. Even though
I've overindulged in some of my favorite comfort foods,
I'm holding on for dear life to the healthy habits
I've built for myself. In times like these I focus
on making "good, better, best" choices by constantly
reminding myself that guzzling caffeine and consuming large
amounts of sugar, salt and fat will not help me handle my
problems.
Super Rich Quick Fixes
Cooking at home helps stretch my calorie and financial budget.
Working up a sweat with walking, yoga, and weight training
helps. Calling my friends helps. Posting online to a supportive
message board helps. I try to notice and be grateful for
the small pleasures in life: a really juicy orange, a sunny
winter day, an unexpected call from someone near and dear.
But some days, despite my best efforts, are lousy. Sometimes
just letting myself feel bad knowing that it won't
last forever is the most constructive thing I can do.
5
Things You Can Do to Start Feeling Better Right Now
- Be
a volunteer. There are people out there who desperately
need what you have to offer. A lot of volunteer work can
be done from the privacy of your home. Write letters to
soldiers, seniors or to the very ill. Or get out of the
house and actually meet people. Local libraries, Humane
Societies, and hospitals would love to have your talents.
Check out www.volunteermatch.org
for some ideas in your metro area.
- Surf
the web for a charity fitness event. You can help a good
cause while helping yourself by walking, biking, or running
for charity. Just putting the date on your calendar will
give you an instant feel good fitness goal to shoot for.
My therapist tells me that exercise is one of the best
treatments for depression and anxiety. Go to www.thewalkingsite.com/events.html
for some ideas to inspire you.
- Get
out your favorite healthy cookbooks and plan out a menu
for the week including at least two new recipes. Write
out a grocery list while you have the ingredient list
in front of you. If your family is small, put some reusable
freezer containers on the list so you don't have
more leftovers in your fridge than you can handle. And
if you're not a fan of cooking every night, make
a double batch and put those same great containers to
good use.
- If
you're a fellow worrier, get out a sheet of paper
or a journal and write about the problem that's running
through your head right now. What are you afraid of? What
is one step can you take to make this problem a little
smaller? If your problem is financial, check out Suze
Orman's books, especially 9
Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps
So You Can Stop Worrying, for some gentle but
practical advice on how to whittle down debt.
If your worries are weight-related, check out the Message
Boards for some great ideas on how to baby-step to
a healthier you. If you're facing an addiction, find
a twelve-step group in your area and put the next meeting
on your calendar. Whatever your problem is, taking concrete
action will make you feel better. Hiding from your problems
will not.
- Find
a club or a class. Sometimes problems seem worse because
when you too much time alone worrying about them. What
skill or subject have you always wanted to learn? Do you
want to knit? Master the basics of a foreign language?
Have you always wanted to try yoga? Check out opportunities
at your local community college, parks and recreation
department or the nearest YMCA,
YWCA
or JCC.
Many offer low-cost classes for community members. You'll
learn a new skill and meet some really interesting people
and if you're really lucky, you just might make a new
friend.
 Jennifer
Sader is a freelance writer, part-time doctoral student
and recreational athlete. She has completed several sprint
and international distance triathlons and three half-marathons.
Her next goal is to do the Columbus Marathon. She is supported
in all her endeavors by her wonderful husband of ten years,
Jesse Squire, who inspired her to do her first competitive
event, a 5K run, at the ripe old age of 20. Email Jennifer
Sader: jensader@yahoo.com
Photo:
András
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