A Girl Uncovered: Revisiting Summer and Now

Week one of college is officially over.

I think I can actually say I’m a college student now, and to me, that’s pretty neat considering I’ve been dreaming of this opportunity for a long time. It’s been a transition for sure, but one I’m really starting to enjoy.

But before I embark on this four year adventure, I wanted to revisit something that’s bothered me over the summer; something I’ve come across here at my campus this first week; and something I plan on working on to better myself once again.

I preach balance, and for months on end, I lived it in the best way possible. Unfortunately this summer, I came across a road of late-night food shoveling and some nasty times of eating way too much; and continuing because I already dabbled in it. I don’t want to label it bingeing, but to some extent I think I am or was. And that concerned me deeply.

Yet I couldn’t change my habits. It was hard and I found myself really feeling bad about what I was doing with my food. I love food, and here I felt as though I had begun to abuse it again, just in a different way than I did two years ago.

My main thoughts that provoked it were probably due to emotional and stress problems leading up to such a big change in my life. At points, I’d think- “this is okay because I had a bad day” or “I’m stressed so… ben and jerry’s?”. These thoughts are far from what I preach, and as the summer had begun to end, I really was upset by how it played out.

I want to make something clear as I continue. I don’t see this as a “oh god I’m going to get fat” problem. As a girl who has learned to respect and love her body, I want to be far away from that type of thinking. It creates a problem, though, when I respect my body so much, yet push my stomach to limits and eat foods that hurt my system because I don’t know how to control it. That’s where my problems arise.

I took a lot of time to evaluate this before I even thought about posting; but I know many young people and older people alike struggle at some points with this. As a kid now going into college, I wanted to offer what I’m doing to help the situation. In no way am I a professional. But I am a human.

I first looked at what’s been going on, and that’s a lot. I’m moving away from home, leaving friends and family, encountering new obstacles with food, fast meals, fast times… yada yada. Then I came up with what I think I need to do.

1. Journal when emotions and stressors come into play. This is HUGE! It gives you a moment to pep talk or to hash out feelings you may throw other places.
2. Evaluate how I’m feeling and why I feel the need to reach for food.
3. Enjoy what I’m eating; and not think about when it will be gone or how I would want more.
4. Start preparing and trying new things. Being in a rut causes your body to have more cravings than normal.
5. Honor my cravings with healthier options, that way when I do reach for a “treat” or a “balanced” type meal, it feels good. Not bad.

I’m hoping I can make it work because I truly love the life of balance and I can’t wait to find it again. Let me know if there’s any questions or concerns you ever need answered and remember…

 

Balance is key.