My girlfriend said to her husband as he was walking out the door to go to the grocery store "bring me back a treat!" He brought back 7-layer salad. To her, that was a treat. But it made me wonder if "treats" couldn't be found somewhere other than the grocery store.
Yes, food is easy . . . and quick . . . and cheap. But as we all know, there's a price to pay for overeating too many calories and rich foods. People write to say "my doctor says I'm not diabetic yet, but I will be. I need to lose weight and get my cholesterol down." We see the signs . . . our doctors see the signs. We know it's coming and it's not good.
But when I think of how to "treat" myself other than food, I get stuck. Yes, I could schedule a massage or take a nice walk, or go to a yoga class. Those would be "treats" for me. But they are time consuming. I can't just drop everything and leave for 2 hours, and in Chicago, the weather rarely cooperates at the right time.
Yes, I can take some time out of my day to listen to a tape or read a book for 30 minutes. But it's hard to find something as quick and easy as food. However, for me, food doesn't really do it anymore . . . that's 1 of the *benchmarks* of progress.
Food doesn't *work* anymore. There's no *charge* . . . no calming down . . . no soothing.
But part of me still wants a *treat!* Maybe it's really just a break in my day -- sitting down for 20 minutes to meditate or relax would rejuvenate me far more than sugar, with no price to pay.
So I would love to know -- how do you *treat* yourself?
I treat myself by playing with and petting my animal companions.
Posted by: Harmony Harrison | June 06, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Wish I could say I have a better way to treat myself, other than snacking mostly on candy. I just ate a bag of M & M peanuts and of course wish I hadn't, because as we all know it doesn't do a thing except make us feel worse. Any ideas?
Posted by: sally | June 06, 2008 at 06:15 PM
I have the same difficulty: I can't always stop what I am doing and treat myself by taking a walk, etc. But I have noticed if I plan on a treat every single day, it really helps and sometimes just knowing that I will have a treat after the kids get to bed, helps get me through the rough spots without eating.
Some of my treats are:
a bubble bath
renting a movie I have wanted to see
going on a walk
taking time to scrapbook
calling a friend
going out with friends
I would love to add to this list, because I still find it easier to think of food treats than other kinds. I guess when food is the treat you have been relying on for years, it makes sense it will be hard to find replacements.
Posted by: Patty | June 10, 2008 at 01:02 PM
About treating oneself. Why? If life is satisfactory, would we be wanting/needing treats? Maybe we could change some other thing (or the whole way we think about life) and then we won't feel we need treats, bribes, and the like.
The gift of saying no. Sometimes the cure is cognitive. Being aware that saying no is not bad. It's nice! Can I do more than I can do? NO. Not because I'm mean, but because I can't, or I won't. NO means there is a limit. It means that this thing is on the other side of the limit. How liberating!
When we crave something and we know it's not good for us, we can recognize, it's on the other side of a fence from me. It's over a limit. There's no such thing as a grey area, like leaning over the fence. Either it's good for me, or it's bad. Either I cross over to it, or I leave it there, alone.
Now let's say I agree it's bad for me right now. So do I want to cross that fence into unhealthyland? Experiment. Think about it. The question isn't about saying no forever. It's about now. How about saying NO? Saying NO to the food is saying YES to myself. It's saying YES to that part of me that is
trying to decide not to eat it, that is pointing out that it's not good for me. It's also about honoring and strengthening the non-addicted part of myself.
Posted by: Rachel Geller | June 11, 2008 at 02:20 PM
I posted this in the wrong spot originally. Sorry.
I have just recently signed up for weekly group middle-eastern style drum lessons. This is great because you're hands are busy. In the beginning as you're learning your mind is also busy concentrating on playing the correct rhythm. Later, as one gets better, it will become like a meditation and your hands will still be busy.
During the lesson, the group dynamic is awesome, especially if you find a good, patient and energetic teacher.
Posted by: Laura | June 11, 2008 at 11:11 PM