Deciding to go gluten free had some unexpected side effects. Nothing confusing or complicated there, or so it seemed until a funny thing started to happen, largely involving Lays Salt & Vinegar chips and chocolate. Like seriously, a lot of Salt & Vinegar chips and chocolate.
Cutting gluten isn’t easy and wanting to be gentle with myself, because I am doing it for health reasons, I allowed some gluten free treats. Chips and chocolate? For my health? Whoa! How on earth did this happen? It is one thing to change a behaviour but quite another to get our minds to buy in and cooperate. So where is the line? At what point does caring for ourselves, or someone else for that matter, become indulging our every whim?
Some of those ways are good for us and good for others, some don’t feel good but are good, like doing paperwork even though we would really rather not. Sometimes however, we do things that feel good but aren’t good, like drinking alcohol or in my case, indulging in unhealthy treats. Sadly, if we are not careful, it can go even further and we start doing things that neither feel good nor are good, but we do them anyway.
There is a point where a need becomes a greed and what we are doing to feel better, slides into an addiction that drives us. We lose perspective and our balance and this can happen in any area of our life. Not just shopping or eating, but also in relationships, exercise and our wish for self improvement.
If not, ask yourself what need is being met by what you are doing and then get creative. Think up a whole lot of other ways you can honour and fulfil this very important wish for happiness.
Our minds are like naughty children and sometimes the best way to deal with a tantrum is to cleverly distract yourself. So instead of turning to chips and chocolate for comfort, I am off to Google recipes that are healthy, delicious, and satisfying. Yay me!