Friday, July 15, 2011

A Lesson from Chex Mix???

A few weeks ago, in a moment of weakness, I bought chex mix... REALLY??? CHEX MIX???? On a scale to 1-10 on the "I love it" scale, chex mix is about a 4.5... I like it at a party, but I don't know that I have ever bought a bag of chex mix in my life.  So, I drove down the rode, eating my not really worth it snack, thinking "what am I doing???" I then proceeded to hold the bag out the window and let the carb packed pieces fly away. (not to worry, my environmentalist friends, I kept the bag and discarded it properly later)
Now, you have probably figured out by now that this led to my favorite question "WHY?"  It wasn't until I was discussing it with my friend Cindy that I understood.  Cindy is one of those intuitive people that has the amazing ability to give you "aha" moments, which is why I try to visit with her as often as possible.  She said, "Katy, what does Chex Mix look like?" I quickly responded, "A mess!" AHA!!!

Suddenly it all made sense... I had been feeling like my life was all jumbled up.  I was facing some big decisions and dealing with some of life's craziness and was honestly very overwhelmed.  It was as if I couldn't make heads or tails out of anything.  That bag of carbs was a perfect example of how I was feeling... instead of seeing cereal, pretzels, and nuts I saw a hodge podge of emotions and decisions.  It wasn't until the "Aha Moment" that I could separate each piece and deal with one thing out a time.

It kind of gives "eating your feelings" a whole new meaning.  So, I did a little experiment with myself.  I decided I would pay close attention to what I was craving and try to match it with the emotion I was having at that moment... now, I'm no scientist but I was intrigued by my results...

It seems that when I crave creamy foods like ice cream or pudding I tend to be feeling physically tense... needing something soothing.  Crunchy foods such as chips or popcorn are when I feel anxiety... needing to let out my nervous energy.  Anything sweet like chocolate or caramel is often craved when I am sad or lonely... needing a little happiness.

Interesting, don't you think???  With this new found information I have made a new goal... I will continue to pay close attention to how cravings & feelings coincide and then I will develop better, healthier ways to accomplish the intended result.  Pain... hot bath, anxiety... take a walk, sad or lonely... call a friend... you get the point.

Who knew I could learn so much from a little bag of Chex Mix??? :-)

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