Handle your anger to achieve Weight Loss
by Wendy Hearn

What happens to your weight loss program when you feel angry? Our emotions and the way we're feeling can get in the way of our commitment to losing weight.

You may have had great intentions of doing what is necessary to lose weight but something occurs which may trigger your emotions and feelings of anger. These feelings can become a real block to achieving what you want and for many people this is a time when they turn to food as a way of dealing with the situation.

Unfortunately, food does not help. The result is that you still struggle with the feelings, as well as struggling with yourself and your weight because of the extra food you've eaten. Chances are the foods you've chosen to deal with the emotions aren't the healthiest options. You're now struggling with the anger you originally had and you're not feeling good about yourself either. There are always likely to be things that could throw you off track when you want to lose weight. Anger is one emotion you may feel at times. It is a normal emotion for a human being. The key to permanent weight loss is to identify these things as early as you can and then find a different way to handle them rather than turning to food.

Perhaps you feel angry about something that's happened at work, in the world, in your family and other things that are beyond your control. There are some situations which leave you feeling angry but which you can choose to do something about directly. You can respond because it's within your control. The area I'm going to focus on here is when you feel angry and it's beyond your control to do much about it. The important thing to do is to find a way to express your anger, to get it out of your mind and body. When the anger has been handled, you'll be more able to shift the focus back to your weight loss, your fitness and your health. What can you do to express and deal with your anger?

I suggest one way of is to write a ‘letter of anger'. This letter is addressed to whoever has caused your anger. In the letter, you give vent to all your anger, telling them in no uncertain terms exactly what you think about them. I really encourage you to tell it as it is, to be blunt and not hold anything back. You may feel it's not in your nature to do something like this. I understand how you feel and I remember the first time I did this, thinking I could never put such terrible words on paper. Once I started though, the words really started to flow and I was quite shocked by what I had written. Your writing doesn't have to make any sense and it may just be a collection of words or phrases on a page. If you find it difficult to start this letter, I suggest you agree with yourself to write, say, the first 5 words only. You'll probably find that having started it, you'll be able to write more. If not, then put it to one side and commit to 5 more words at another time.

Once you've written the letter - and this is CRUCIAL - you're not going to send it. The intention of writing this letter is to get rid of your own anger, not to send it and be hurtful to the other person. Burn this letter or at least tear it up into small pieces and this then allows you to start letting it go, freeing you up to move forwards.

What I want is for you to be free of any anger that's holding you back from losing weight and being healthy.

Wendy Hearn  Weight Loss Success Coach Author of "What's Eating You? - The Top 10 Things That Stop YOU From Losing Weight"  http://www.PositiveWeightLoss.com Copyright 2001, Wendy Hearn. All rights reserved.