Excerpt from 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food
It's time to stop going to the refrigerator or cupboards whenever you feel the urge to eat and start dealing with the problems you're trying to mask. Start with these 10 self-soothing techniques from psychologist Dr. Susan Albers' book 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food.
By Dr. Susan Albers
Medicinal Laughter
- Find the natural humor in whatever problem you're struggling with. To help, look to the future. What about this situation might cause you to laugh five years from today? Is there anything giggle worthy in it? For example, is there a Three Stooges moment? Try to imagine how your favorite comedian would take this situation and turn it into a humorous sketch.
- Do something funny. Leave a funny phone message for a friend. Make up a fictional name and use it all day. Wear a T-shirt or a hat that makes people laugh.
- Learn a one-line joke and tell it to everyone you meet in your day.
- Put a funny picture of yourself or an amusing picture from a magazine on your refrigerator door. You can even tape the picture onto a box of cookies in your cupboard so that when you start searching for food to snack on, you'll see it.
Published 11/19/2000