's motd Sat Aug 7, 2010

[Guest guest]

ARE YOU PUTTING YOURSELF DOWN?

Saturday, 07 August 2010

When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is go to my office and print all of the E-mails waiting for me. I bring them up to the kitchen and begin reading them as I have breakfast. While I'm reading, I always have a pen in hand, making notes on each E-mail so I can answer them as best I can.

In the responses I make to those who write, half the words come from my brain and the other half comes from my heart. Here, I have to tell you, some of the E-mails I receive really upset me. I'm talking about the ones I read where the person who wrote is constantly putting themselves down. They may include thoughts like these:", I'm writing because I need some help but, funny thing is, I really don't know why or how I'd expect you to help me. Nobody else does! Seriously, no one seems to like me. I spend most of my time alone. I don't want to do anything because I always feel so numb, inside and out. I don't leave my house very much because I can feel people staring at me. I can look into their eyes and sense the horrible things they must be thinking. When I was younger, I know my mother didn't care very much for me, either. And it seems my father was always away at work more than he was at home. I guess I'm just not a good person, . So why even bother trying to lose weight, right?"Wrong! You know, I'm not really shocked to read letters like that. Because, many years ago, I often felt the same way about my own life. My mother worked so hard trying to keep me on a diet while she was away at work. In the meantime, while she was working, I'd be in our kitchen nibbling on any foods I could get my hands on. I'd make myself a sandwich or zip open a bag of potato chips. I'd eat ice cream, cookies and slice after slice of bologna. Honestly, I would eat until I just about got sick!

Of course, after eating enough for every kid on my block, the self-berating "second act" of my little food drama would get started. I'd look in the mirror and say terrible things to myself about myself. And the more I talked badly about myself, the more I began believing the nasty things I was saying. Later that day, I'd have to face my mother and because I was so hurt...and it showed, she felt hurt, too. I could see in her face the pain she had for me.Things got so bad that sometimes I wished I'd never even been born. But there were so many days, in spite of how bad I'd been, I'd repeat the same-old ritual, abusing my body with one mouthful of food after another. My horrible eating habits had become a viscous cycle. Just like Alice In Wonderland, I kept falling and falling, deeper and deeper down that hole! So, how did I finally get through it all? Well, first I had to hit rock bottom. But...I didn't stay down! I got up with a new attitude. I promised myself that I was not going to say negative things about me to me...any longer. I promised that I was going to give myself compliments and work harder at staying on my healthy weight-loss program.

Now let ask, do you say negative things about yourself to yourself? If you're guilty of this, you'd better stop it...now! I mean, really, what good comes of it? You need to get up in the morning with the same kind of attitude I wake up with. Begin your day by paying yourself compliments and planning how you're going to take good care of yourself for the rest of your day and everyday.And once you stop being so negative and putting yourself down all the time, I promise, you'll begin to see positive results in the way you feel about and treat yourself. And oh yeah, one more thing. I get up close to that mirror each morning, bring my hand up to cheek, give myself a little pinch and a wink! That always makes me feel great! Love,