Depriving Yourself ~ Emotional Eating

I've been viewing healthy people as deprived.

I know that sounds crazy but this realization hit me one morning. The thought flitted across my mind absently as I put on make-up and I grabbed it out of the flow. 

"What is this? Healthy people are deprived? Why do I think that?" 

These are the answers that came back to me as I pushed in: They are depriving themselves of sweets and fun. They starve themselves just to be thin; they endure pain just to have muscles. 

I stood there shocked. This is how I've seen it?! This is how I view healthy people? And I've assumed I'm not deprived because I can eat whatever I want and don't put myself through pain? (The craziness did not escape my notice) The truth came tumbling after.

I AM THE ONE WHO IS DEPRIVED!!! 

I am deprived of hiking without huffing; I'm deprived of intimacy because I feel self-conscious about my body; I am deprived of wearing cute clothes because nothing fits; I am deprived of swimming and feeling confident in a swimsuit. I am the one who is deprived of energy; of vibrant, hydrated skin; of a sexy body. I am deprived of all these things.

The only thing I'm not deprived of is eating sweets, fast food, and junk. 

I've equated the fun, happy parts of life with food and the unhappy parts with health. But couldn't I have fun with health? Could it be that giving up junk, would offer so much more?

I could be fit and healthy to help others. I could wear the clothes I love because I love them and not because they hide my belly. I could feel freer to exercise and dance and run and swim and play! I could feel empowered to do things I'm afraid to pursue.

I no longer want to chase something that's costing me so much. 

Bad habits are hard to change and I know it will literally be a moment by moment choice; but I want to change it. So I've put cards up all over my house and in my purse to help me fight temptation. 

If you struggle with me, if you've bought into a wrong perspective, or if you're fighting to overcome your issues on food and emotional eating; I hope this post encourages you.

I'll leave you with what my cards say:

Stop depriving yourself of a full life!

Are you, like me, depriving yourself?