Are you the giver in many of the relationships you are in? Do you often find yourself thinking, “They really never have time to listen to me or I don’t believe that I am worthy of them listening to me.”
Do you find yourself giving to others to the point of depletion? Is food the friend that doesn’t ask anything of you?
Using food to cope can be triggered for a many reasons, but a common thread when food becomes your best friend is loneliness. Support is a great antidote for feeling alone: The power of support can help you recommit of yourself and your path to health when you hit the wall and just can’t come through for you.
Many women who give support often have a difficult time receiving support. This can be because they lived in a family where other people (parents, siblings, grandparents) took up most of the air in the family. Or they grew up believing that they shouldn’t have needs or someone criticized them for wanting anything different than what was being offered ( think food).
Evaluating Your Current Support System
Energy Makers are people or situations that lift your spirits. It might be someone that you can talk about something bad happening and you both end up laughing. It can even be a fabulous concert that moves your soul.
Energy Takers are the people in your life (sometimes relatives) that you leave you feeling sucked dry. What can happen is that you give and give from an empty place and you can move into burn out where you have no energy for yourself of others. Limiting the amount of time you spend with energy takers or changing the balance in your support system so that you have more energy makers can be helpful to replenish.
Energy Fakers are people that seem like you have a lot in common with them, but when they leave you feel yucky about yourself or what you said. It can be helpful to identify this experience when it happens and be more protective of yourself and what you share with them. Perhaps even decide not to be around them.
Is there a way you could spend time with an energy maker this week? How can you be on the look out for folks who fill you up?
Photo by Fifikins