Outta Sight, Outta Mind.
An approach to making better choices.
We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” If you make unhealthy choices, then you’ll become unhealthy. But what can be said about “You eat what you see”? For me, it means that if I am tempted with lots of unhealthy snacks at home, then I will most likely eat them; chocolate chip cookies are my weakness. If I’m having a rough day at work, and I need a pick-me-up but only have potato chips, cookies, and ice cream at home, and no fruits or veggies to snack on, then I will 110% just grab what is available to satisfy my need in the moment. I know we all can say no and make healthy choices when faced with temptation, but the one thing we fail to remember is that we’re human!
If we’ve ever used cookies to alleviate stress or curb our bad mood, then it’s easier for us to gravitate towards them when we are stressed at work. However, if work is stressing us out and need a snack, but all we have at home is baby carrots and celery, given you like these, then it’s more likely that we will make the healthy choice because that is what’s available. This doesn’t mean that we should only have healthy options at home and that we can never have potato chips or cookies in our pantries because we have no self-control. Many folks have children at home and to not have some kid-friendly options in a house full of children is simply unrealistic and quite frankly, dangerous.
What’s important to remember is that everything in life is based on balance. If we have fruits and veggies that we enjoy on hand, and only one unhealthy snack at our disposal, then maybe we’ll be more likely to choose the healthier option. Why is that do you think? Does temptation create psychological warfare within us when we’re stressed and hungry? Maybe it’s more black and white and you just don’t want to be the first person in your house to open the new bag of potato chips, or the first to finish them. Whatever the reason, the point is that it’s simply easier to make better choices when you’re not surrounded by bad ones. If you’re thinking, “I’ve always had the willpower to say no, that’s never been an issue for me!” Well, kudos to you then for being awesome, please teach us your ways because not all of us are that kind of superhuman.
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