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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Time for a Diaper Bag-A New Tool For Recovery

No more siblings for this fella!

No, no more babies in my future--unless I become a grandparent too early in my youth. "Two and through", I just overheard a woman say--I second that sentiment! And I've no need for carrying Depends--a diaper of sorts, for adults. This diaper bag is a bit different and it is as essential for me as for you, male and female alike. It knows no age limits--carry it if you're a teen or in your 60s, a single parent or a mom of little ones. It needs to be carried by you--for you--even if you've got no toddler in tow.

This diaper bag allows you to be in control. It holds the snacks you believe you don't need and don't feel you deserve--and it enables you to eat them whenever you need to. This helps you fuel your body any time, any where--whenever you need to. Intuitive eating becomes possible when you can recognize your hunger and are well-prepared to respond to it. It provides you with the essential pick me up to prevent you from dropping down to an unhealthy state physically--and psychologically. Simply placing your snacks into your sack is a very tangible reminder that you need to eat. But it's just the first step.

Choose a bag size that fits your needs!
"Why eat when I can put it off and wait until my next meal?", you might think. Because if you struggle with out of control eating, eating an adequate snack allows greater control at your next meal. It energizes you to help you think straight. It takes the edge off. It keeps you from dipping too low. It helps keep your thoughts straight and prevents major drops if blood sugar and the lightheadedness which follows.
Your diaper bag is a very visual reminder of  your needs. You tote it around as a reminder that you must eat. Yes, even you who are higher weight or BMI, or of normal weight but simply dissatisfied with your body; you, too, need to be burdened by the bag.

Your diaper bag validates that you need to nourish yourself. Would a mother of toddlers dare to leave the house without this tote? Would she leave behind the infant formula or the animal crackers to appease her child's hunger, to honor it, to respect it? Of course not. So why not consider your needs and provide for your own nourishment?

Yes, it's okay to include a portion of your favorites!
Your nourishment isn't limited to the snacks the bag contains. Your diaper bag may include a book or an ipod, or some other distraction from your own thoughts. Perhaps it even has a journal for you to express yourself and air your thoughts, your feeling, your fears.

Carrying your diaper bag is a way of saying you're important and that self care is a high priority, that your needs are as important as those of your children's or the parents you may care for, or your best friend.

Small, but holds the essentials for men or women.
But it's only as good as what you do with it. You've got to make the effort to dip into the bag and actually eat what you've carried. You've got to pull out the coping tools such as the music player or meditation download, and you need to listen to it. You need to change it's appearance and its contents from time to time, so it's harder to ignore it, to forget why you carry it.

Design your own bag or use a simple sack of your choice. But make it all about your needs with the tools to meet them. I know, I know, it's not going to be easy. You've never thought of yourself as number one on the priority list. But it's time for change, isn't it? And if you can't seem to get past doing it for yourself, consider starting by doing it for the sake of those loved ones you care about--your kids, your partner, your parents, your friends.

Please tell us what you've put in your bag. Or how you've created one and used it. See this post for inspiration http://keepcatebusy.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-made-something-messenger-bag.html

Thanks, in advance, for sharing.





5 comments:

  1. I loved this post! As a mom with three boys under three, I would never leave home without a bag full of diapers, snacks, toys, changes of clothes, etc. The hard part is reminding myself not to just take care of the little ones, but to also take care of myself.
    The sad part is that it is so easy to remember everything for the kids and pack more than they need for every outing while at the same time leaving out anything for me when I probably need it more (nursing a newborn and a toddler, a super fast metabolism that burns around 6,000 cal/day, and already underweight).

    Thanks so much for this, I really need to make a bigger effort to include myself in that diaper bag!

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    1. Yes, we all need that reminder to take care of ourselves! And, I must add, your needs seem greater than most with a nursing baby and all.
      Thanks for commenting.

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  2. What a brilliant idea!! I love my bag even more now :-)
    xxxCate

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  3. Ah it's nice to read this post.It makes me consciously aware of something good I do.
    A few years ago I realized I couldn't go away from home for more then 3 hours without water. So my first step was to always put a bottle of water in my bag. Then I realized in 4-5 hours I actually get hungry - and if I want to avoid getting low blood sugar (with all the negative feelings that come with it) I might just as well have a snack on me. Then it dawned on me...if I am gone for so long I might just as well have a plan/meal on me too.
    Never mind that I am the only one at work drinking water, I never get thirsty. Never mind that I am the only one that brings snacks/food. I am the one that never gets hungry and cranky.

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