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Emotional Do and Don't Lists

Excerpt from The Food and Feelings Workbook
by Karin R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed
To find out more about this helpful book click here.

Do…
•      allow myself to be vulnerable with people I trust
•      fully experience every emotion
•      be open and accepting of all my emotions
•      be curious rather than judgmental about my emotions
•      use people to comfort me when I feel badly, instead of focusing on food
•      let my emotions come and go as they please without fear
•      populate my inner circle with intimates who are emotionally mature and healthy
•      take my time and figure out exactly what I’m feeling
•      use my feelings along with my judgment to help me reach my goals, eating and otherwise

Don’t…
•      pretend I don’t feel anything when I do
•      ignore or minimize painful feelings
•      believe that anyone knows better than I do what I’m feeling
•      let people shame or humiliate me for having or expressing feelings
•      avoid feelings because they make me uncomfortable
•      worry about my feelings making me fall apart
•      be so concerned about hurting other people’s feelings
•      focus on food when I’m experiencing a painful emotion
•      be hard on myself if I take a while to get the hang of this emotions thing
•      dwell on my feelings after they’ve given me the information I need to make changes in my life

Imagine if you could succeed in doing everything on this Do list and avoid doing everything on this Don’t list. You can!

Reprinted from The Food and Feelings Workbook by Karin R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed To find out more about this helpful book click here. Click here for more articles on Eating Disorders

Additional Resources:

Athletes and Eating Disorders: Some Ramifications of the NCAA Study, An Interview with Dr. Pauline Powers
Basic Facts About Eating Disorders
Betwixt and Be'Tween: Puberty and Body Image
Big Fat Lies
Binge Eating and Substance Abuse