Psychologists never cease to amaze me with their new creative diagnosis. They can come up with some good titles and labels for just about everything. For example, for a child that can’t seem to sit down or focus long enough to do anything. “They” might call it ADHD. What did “big momma” call it? You need your behind whipped. Or, a guy might think that she loves him one day, but the next day, he’s the devil. What might “they” call it? Bipolar. What do some of us call it? Mad & bitter woman syndrome.

Now granted, some of this medical research has some validity to it….somehow or another. But when I really think long and hard about it, medical consultations and copayments can be smoke and mirrors trying to conceal excuses and false labels. One label I’ve come to dislike is “emotional eating.”

Many of you that know me, know that I try to do a pretty good job of staying fit and keeping my sanity along the way. But there are days (many of them), like today, that I just want to eat all kinds of cake, candy, ice cream, and cookies with no strategic plan on how big the portions are or how many calories I’m consuming.

Do you have those days when you just don’t give a hoot and all you want to do is eat? Yup, me too and “they” call it emotional eating. I only lose my mind like that when I’m feeling down and out. People look at me like I have a third eye when I say that to them. Because for some strange reason, my life is suppose to be nearly perfect in the eyes of others. But let me honestly tell you that my life is far from perfect, and I struggle daily with health goals and objectives just like you. I also like to eat crap when those goals and objectives don’t seem to want to align themselves according to the world of Dana Simone.

Fortunately, something told me tonight that I am not an emotional eater and that I didn’t have the right to embrace that medical label for my on again, off again eating habits. I was faced with my sub conscience that blatantly told me that the term emotional eating, in my case, is merely an excuse to spontaneously plan a pity party and only invite guests like chocolate cake, superman ice cream, and Reese Cups.

Seriously?! Is that what it’s come down to? A pity party. Jeez! Let’s explore this a little and maybe even help each other out. I figure if we can back into when & why, we can tap into the root cause and maybe eliminate this behavior altogether.

So, tell me. What are those moments that weaken you to make poor food choices? Don’t leave me hanging on this subject. Or I might be forced to grab some bon bons…

Driving on the freeway of love in a pink Cadillac…

The nice thing about driving in the USA is that we have boundaries, signs, and signals to govern us. My favorite is the double white lines that divide the road, which means, do not cross/do not pass. In other words, stay in your own lane.

To me, “staying in your lane” is a philosophy to minimize stress. When people give us unsolicited advice (their unrequested opinion about what we should do or think), many of us try to accommodate their conversation by making excuses or trying to defend ourselves. Why in the world do we that?

Here’s my biggest situation whereby I have to tell people to stay in your lane. Everyone that knows me, know that I spend a great deal of time focusing on my health and fitness (HAF). However, what people don’t understand is why I spend so much time and energy doing it. I have taught myself to be extremely disciplined about my health and fitness because it’s a priority for me. Those of us that may be on again, off again with our HAF commitments seldom see real results because maybe we haven’t really decided that we want to be healthy and fit. It hasn’t become one of the most important things that we focus on every day. For me, health and fitness are integral parts of my being just like God, Destiny, family, FDIC, and my businesses. Every single day of my life includes those seven elements to some degree. Health and fitness isn’t a pastime or hobby for me, it’s another career.

Our weight, health, or exercise preferences should be an obsession. And we shouldn’t cheat, lie to ourselves, or make repetitive excuses to achieve meaningful results. If we put half the amount of energy in our HAF as we do excuses, happiness and self-confidence might visit us more often. Our happiness shouldn’t originate from others. It most definitely should start from within and what we think about ourselves.

Whatever your lane is, stay in it and stop trying to be a defensive driver concerned about someone else’s race. Just do you, focus on the finish line, and watch out for those blind spots.

What are your thoughts? Shout it out below…

Please visit my website at www.DanaSimone.com. If you want more motivation, check out my motivational book on time management and fitness for women; it takes no more than 60-minutes to read and it’s the only adult book of this kind with a magical book cover – What’s In Your 24? How To Get It Done Without Getting Outdone