De-stressing Over To Do Lists

Disregulated eaters often become victims of their to-do lists. Feeling stressed by what you believe you have to do, you’re more likely to turn to food to reduce you’re the pressure you’re experiencing. Here’s how to get yourself out from under. What helped one client I work with who drove herself crazy with whatever tasks she had left undone was to first and foremost realize that she had created the list herself. Sure, she had a job that required her to work and complete tasks, but she’s the one who felt driven about accomplishing them quickly and perfectly. No one was pressuring her. Too many of you whip yourselves into a frenzy in order to wipe your to-do list clean—only to create a new one the moment you’ve checked off the last item. When you do this, as the saying goes, you feel like a hamster who can’t stop running on his wheel.  The problem is that somewhere along the way having things to do became associated with “shoulds” and anxiety, which turned tasks into compulsions. You write a to-do list which for a nanosecond gives you the illusion that you’re in control of life, but when that instant passes, you’re immediately overwhelmed and flying frantic. The key to reducing your panic is un-pairing completing tasks with anxiety. Who says they go together? Where did you learn this? Can’t a to-do list simply stand on its own without feeling pressured by it? You could, you know, feel neutral or nothing at all about it.  ...
Source: Normal Eating - Category: Eating Disorders Authors: Source Type: blogs