Do you identify as a carboholic, sugar addiction or an emotional eater? Or maybe, all of the above?

There is so much unnecessary drama and stress and tension in these statements. They also couldn’t be farther from the truth.

You are not a carboholic. You eat carbohydrates. Sometimes, you eat when you’re stressed or angry or experience some other difficult emotion. Sometimes you eat too much sugar.

Think about the massive difference between “I’m a carboholic” and “I sometimes eat too many carbohydrates”.

In the first statement, we’re linking our identity and sense of self to a behaviour. When we do this, our brains are going to look for ways to prove us right.

Is this helpful? Have you ever benefited from calling yourself a sugar addict or an emotional eater?

You are you. You are not a carboholic. There is a small difference in language between the two statements above, but the impact they will have on us will make a world of difference.

What we focus on expands. If we focus on how addicted to carbohydrates or sugar we are, it takes our focus away from the possible solutions. It takes our attention from possible solutions and new habits we can build instead.

What if, instead of focusing on being a carboholic, you asked yourself “how can I have a healthy relationship with food today?” Take it one day at a time. This way, your focus will be on how you can improve and grow and move towards what you want instead of what you don’t want.

The next time you catch yourself attaching to a label that isn’t serving you, catch yourself. Challenge that thought. Challenge that belief. Only attach to labels that empower you and uplift you, and look at the rest as past patterns that you are capable of changing.