CONTROL - WE ALL HAVE IT

We have it, but we don't use it

Every day we can see around us the effects of people in and out of control.  Many aspects of what we do in life are bids to have control over the only thing we can control, our own bodies and minds.  One of the main aspects of eating disorders is the fact that the person with anorexia or bulimia is acting out control over the only thing they feel they can - their bodies.  We all want control of our lives and we will, consciously or otherwise, do whatever is necessary to have it.

Often though, life comes along and we feel as though we've lost control.  Eleanor Roosevelt said, wisely, that people can only to do to us what we allow them to do.  Meditate upon that thought for a moment.  We decide whether we will react or respond to something someone said or did.  Nobody has the power to make us feel any way - we give them the power.  So, take your power back and feel like you're in control once again.

Get Motivated

What will it take to know you're in control of your body?  Perhaps being actively involved in making the changes you know you need to make, instead of mentally assenting to them and then going on with self-destructive behaviors.  What will motivate you to get back into shape, take care of your body, eat well, have fun, be fit?  Most often we need a challenge to motivate us to get going.  If we wait until we're feeling like it, we may well end up doing nothing. Truth told, taking charge of our own health and bodies is not always easy, and often we don't feel like it.  It's just easier to keep reading the magazines and wishing we could do it then doing what it takes.

Take the Challenge

So, here's the challenge:  You already know of at least one or two things that you could be doing differently but still haven't changed your ways.  Before this day is out, pick only one thing that you know you could change and incorporate it into your life for the next week.  Write down on the calendar the day you make the change and keep track, for the next week, of how you feel both physically and mentally, having made that change for the good.

Chances are, you'll be incorporating more and more of those good things into your life, as you challenge yourself to live the life you were meant to live.