REJECTION
Rejection is a powerful emotion. It’s that feeling of not being good enough
and is the root of a myriad of problems so many of us face.
I have come to realize that there is not just one thing that
causes me feel unworthy and often to want to overeat. There are many. And yesterday I discovered that rejection is
a huge one.
When I got up yesterday morning I was in a good mood. As I went through my work day I started
feeling that sinking feeling. I call it
spiraling. It wasn’t bad; it was just
that I could feel it. Over the past few
years I have learned to identify that feeling before it has a chance to grab
hold and pull me down into the abyss.
So here I was a busy little beaver working hard all day and
it kept nagging at me. Not like a kid or
a boss. More like a gnat or fruit fly
that just buzzes around your head for no good reason. In this last weight loss journey of mine, I
have tried to identify these triggers.
Once I do, it is much easier for me to deal with them and choose a better
path.
Now I will give myself kudos. I didn’t think once about stuffing my
face. I really just wanted that dark
cloud to be gone. While Patty and I
were jogging, I told her about going to jury duty about 30 years ago and not
being picked. I felt so rejected I
literally crawled into bed for several days.
On that Friday, I called a therapist and told her I didn’t know what was
wrong but something was. That started my
trip down therapy lane.
I told Patty I was having those same feelings all day
long. I told her that I really hadn’t
wanted to jog; I had wanted to crawl in bed and cover my head. But I didn’t.
By the time I had finished my jog and pounded those sidewalks, that
feeling of rejection was gone. I had
overcome it. I didn’t feel like abusing
my body with food. I was no longer
spiraling. And I no longer felt
rejected.
Now here is what I have learned. Many times when we feel rejected, it isn’t
true! It is an emotion that takes root
in our own minds from a thought. We
start thinking about, feeding it, watering it, and watch it grow. It doesn’t take long. Our mind will agree with our irrational
thoughts just like it will put them there.
But here is the key.
Our mind is nothing without us.
We have the ability to control our mind.
We can change the thoughts that pop into our head. It takes practice but we all can do it. When you start having those feelings of being
unworthy and not good enough, try confronting them. Where do they stem from? Are they real or imagined?
An affirmation I have tried to live by the past couple of
years is this, “Change your thoughts; change your life.” It has worked many times for me and is still
an ongoing project. The next time you
are feeling rejected and unworthy, try changing that channel in your head. It takes practice but I can assure you, it
works.
copyrighted 2014
caryn cannatella
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