Anchors away!

Yesterday was pretty good by many standards. It started off with lil BBB actually eating his breakfast, me not giving in to turning on the tv for him. After a while we decided to go to the park for a few hours. We biked of course to the park, and had a great time. I packed a picnic as well and lil BBB enjoyed it. He even started making a new friend, and enjoyed when his Aunt came to visit as well.

So far this year, I have over 50 miles in, which considering that is about all I did last year is pretty amazing.  Yesterday was WI  though and down 3 pounds which is an amazing loss. I have been struggling lately with staying on plan, though I haven’t gone over my points it has come close. I feel the urge to stress eat right now, but thanks to my support networks that I have made, I have been able to stop.

At the meeting last night it was funny, they talked about anchors. I find often that I need my anchors to hold me down, and if it were not for them I would not be where I am today. There are many types of anchors that I use in my life, some physical, others emotional, and others digital.

Physical anchors can be something as simple as a pebble in your pocket or as big as a landmark. The idea behind it is that when you see/feel that anchor it lets you stop for a moment and evaluate what you are doing. For example, when I am really fighting a craving some times I grab my keys in my pocket. There is nothing special about my keys, nothing on them of real meaning, but it is a “trigger” for me to think before I simply stuff my gob. I know some people will have things such as a dress/clothes they want to where someday and use the sight of those things to anchor them(perhaps hanging it in the kitchen even). Physical anchors are a powerful tool that we can use, and depending on what it is, can be used anywhere!

What are emotional anchors? The best way I can think of discribing them are feelings, whether good or bad, that allow us to again stop to think about what we are doing. For example, there was a time due to my weight, I felt like I could not do a train ride at the zoo with my son. It was his first ride, and I didn’t want to face the embarrassment of not fitting in the seats. I will never forget that darkness of that momment, knowing how badly I wanted to be with him to experience the moment. There are also positive ones as well, such as the other day when I road to the “M”. I can not describe in words the feeling of joy/pride when I arrived, knowing that I had pushed myself to my limits and beyond. I had set a goal to not walk my bike, and I did NOT walk my bike. It is an emotional anchor that I can use, to remind myself of why I am on this journey. It again can be a very powerful tool at our disposal.

So digital anchors, what the hell are those?!? For me the biggest one is Facebook! I am part of several groups of people who I know I can turn to at anytime for help. It is an amazing thing to be able to find support all around the world. People, who have never truly met me, are willing to provide me with kindness/help, and without any thought of compensation. There is another kind of “digital anchor”, and that is human interaction. The grasp of a hand by someone who loves you, a friend who will pick you up out of the mud. For me that is my wife and son. No matter what, I KNOW they are here for me(as I am for them). Even though my son is 2 years old, he has anchored me more times then I can count! He grabs my hand and leads me out of the kitchen to go play, or even takes my food from me(little sneak :P). My wife has listened to my countless hours of troubles/urges, and never once told me to shove off. It is a powerful thing, like a nuclear explosion of goodness, when someone helps you and when you in turn help others.

So I guess what I am really saying is this, no matter what your doing or where you are, there is always some sort of anchor that you can find. While they are not full proof, nor will they stop you from doing anything, they do allow you the oppurtunity to stop, think, and then decide what you wish to do.

BigBonedBiker