Lessons from a candy bar

When I was a teenager, I hid candy wrappers under my bed. And I felt like the worst person in the world for doing so.  

🤦‍♂️ Rebelling with food…

Feeling nothing but shame, I was convinced there was no worse crime a person could commit. I felt frustrated for the strict way my diet was controlled because of my type 1 diabetes (t1d), and it was my way of lashing out, and getting the control back. 

This “shameful” behavior of rebelling with food continued through much of my teens and even into adulthood. I still sometimes glance over my shoulder when reaching for dessert, or food I perceive as “bad”. Will I be “caught in the act” by the t1d police, waiting around the corner to arrest me? 

🤷‍♀️ Thoughts are optional…

It blows my mind to re-live those thoughts my mind created, that I truly believed were true.  The words in quotes, are just thoughts. Sentences created by my brain. They are not facts or figures that came from an encyclopedia, they are not true stories recounted by a biographer, they are made up phrases I told myself over and over and over, until they became a part of me. And I berated myself for them. 

Learning that my thoughts are OPTIONAL is one of the most powerful things I’ve learned from life coaching. I no longer have to believe the story that eating candy is shameful and makes me a horrible person. Will it make my blood sugars high? Possibly. But that is a circumstance that has nothing to do with my self-worth. 

🙌  The solution…

So here’s what I did:

1. I picked a new story – “I am a person who eats and enjoys candy”
2. When I do have candy, I figure out the exact number of carbs, give myself the right amount of insulin, and enjoy my candy without shame

👏 Amazing benefits…

Because I took the shame and the restrictions off the table, two magical things happened:

1. I found myself not WANTING candy (most of the time), because I was ALLOWING myself to have it 
2. I felt such a sense of FREEDOM, once I released the shame and stopped beating myself up for being human

✔ Do you have a story you’ve convinced yourself is true?

✔ Do you beat yourself up for feeling a normal human emotion? 

✔ Do you feel guilty for something, followed by shame? 

You are not alone. I can help! 

Email me at Lauren@LifecoachingwithLauren.com or schedule a free consult by clicking the link below. https://Schedulelifecoachingwithlauren.as.me/?appointmentType=24007416