Mindfulness: Day Dreaming The Blues Away

Try to steer clear of imagining yourself eating in your dreams… If you find yourself daydreaming about food stop and actively redirect your thoughts to a more neutral or positive fantasy; such as going to a desired vacation or being with someone you love.

Create a poster with a visual array of pleasurable activities. Use images that relate to your daydreams and to healthy ways to soothe yourself…you will create a visual image to remind yourself that there are many ways to soothe yourself that do not involve eating food.

Buy a piece of poster board.
Get a stack of magazines…(different genres represented, like health, nature, news, and women’s magazines.)
Close your eyes and think for a moment. Or look through the magazines for inspiration…
You can also add words of encouragement or even poems to the images on the board. Include motivational words, phrases, and affirmations.
Include images of fun activities and places you dream about visiting.
There is one rule: stay away from unhealthy images, even if they’re enticing. That means no skinny supermodels. Don’t use pictures of overweight people either. (Some people try to scare themselves away from overeating.) When you look at this picture, remember that you want to create a soothing effect, not a frightening one.
Display your poster where you’ll see it frequently; for example, above your desk, on your bathroom door, or somewhere in your kitchen.

Albers, Susan. "#14." 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself without Food. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2009. N. pag. Print.