The power of positive food related memories is SO underestimated in the world of food craving treatment or relief. Oftentimes, these memories are what drives our behavior and until they are addressed, they will continue in that same vein, driving behavior that does not suit you. You might be wondering what I’m talking about, and you may not even know you have positive food related memories. So, let me explain a little about how this works.

Why We ‘Default’ to Relieve Stress

When we are stressed or dealing with some uncomfortable situation or event, our mind will always try to balance things out in the quickest way possible. This is our survival mechanism at play. One of the quickest ways to do this is with eating, as eating can regulate our mood quite quickly and powerfully. So, when we feel dejected, bored or upset, our mind will take us to a strategy that has helped us feel better in the past. This is where the positive food related memories come in. Our mind will take us to a sure fire solution that used to work in the past, even if it was 20, 30+ years ago when it worked well.

If you think about it, as kids, we really didn’t have the tools we have as adults to regulate our mood. Food was a great resource for mood regulation and it worked like a charm. So, we do well in school and we get to go have an ice cream as a reward. Or, we come home from school and our mother has baked us our favorite cookies just for us. The warm feelings of love are powerful in both instances, and they are something our minds would like to have more of, so the habit pattern is set. The way that food related memories work is that they are a memory cluster where the event of eating is coupled with positive emotions related to those we love. So, it becomes a powerful magnet that we return to time and time again in an attempt to affect our mood in a positive way.

Current Stress Triggers Old Stress Relieving Strategies

When our boss yells at us when we expected praise, we suddenly can’t stop thinking about cookies. It’s not the cookies that are the problem, it’s the memory attached to the cookies that drives our thoughts and if we follow them, our behaviors. But, this is actually a good thing for you if you have unexplainable cravings that you are having a hard time controlling, because there is relief in sight.

By focusing on the cravings while holding Acupressure points around your face and the back of your head, you’ll actually find out if positive food related memories are driving your behavior. Not everyone has memories, some people don’t experience this and still get good results, but it’s always such a special treat to make the connection to an old memory. The good news is that once that connection is made, you will be able to deal with stress in more adult ways, that are better suited for your current life now. You won’t need to go back to old behaviors for a solution, you’ll have many alternatives for mood regulation that work much better for you now. It’s not really feasible to go out and find some special cookies to satisfy your craving when something else would better relieve your stress, leaving you feeling better, not worse. After all, eating cookies in a stressed out state will only make your stress worse, it’s a matter of physiology, it’s just the way things are. And, like I said, once this connection is made, it’s made and you don’t have to keep working at it, it will become natural to relieve stress in the new ways you are shown by your own mind and body. These ways are specific to you and will satisfy you.

There IS Hope

So, if you’re struggling with cravings that just don’t make sense, and you can’t control them though you’d like to, you may be up against a food related memory that is ready to be looked at and retired from active duty. It’s not like you won’t have those memories, you’ll still have them and you’ll feel good when you remember them, you just won’t HAVE to HAVE that food in order to connect into the good feeling; you’ll have many more ways to generate that good feeling with or without food. You’ll have freedom to choose, and that’s what it’s all about.

Then, you’ll be able to enjoy food in peace and not overeat like you may have in the past. When you have a cookie, it won’t be a stress relieving event, it will be an enjoyable moment in time followed by something other than stress.

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Best regards,