Compulsive Behaviors Hinder Healing - Day 111

Compulsive Behaviors Hinder Healing
Day 111

Dr. H. Norman Wright says, "The person who has a tendency toward any kind of compulsive behavior or addiction might see this come to the forefront even more so during grief."

Along with drug and alcohol abuse and excessive diet habits and activity, other compulsive behaviors associated with grief include anger and violence. You may have found that you will submit yourself to anything to escape the pain of grief.

These behaviors may temporarily sedate the pain, but they will hinder and even block your healing.

It is wise to take some time to think and pray about your compulsive behavior, and identify whether or not your behavior is grief-induced or if you have been struggling with this problem for much longer. If you have a compulsive behavior that is out of your control, please seek help through your church or a Christian organization. You must learn to cope with and heal from this behavior so that you can heal from your grief.

"I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him" (Isaiah 57:18).

Lord Jesus, I want a fresh start with You. Show me how. Amen.

~ I realized along this journey that I was emotional eating. I knew I was gaining weight, but didn't realize that I was feeding my face until I would get on the scale and be shocked that the scale was moving in the wrong direction. I am a night eater. I find that I find myself in my emotions or trying to keep from them at night and I find that I am most certainly swallowing my emotions figuratively and physically. It fathoms my mind how I allow it to happen, yet I don't realize I have done it until it is done. I sit there afterwards and am disgusted. I start to think back and wonder if I was truly hungry or if it was thirst. I wonder if I was just trying to bandaid my hurt.  The good thing is that I am now aware of this behavior and am able to reroute that urge or those feelings. I most of all just make myself go to bed, because that is what I am avoiding when I sit up and watch tv late at night and eat. I am avoiding laying in the bed in the dark with my thoughts that sometimes lead me to a sad moment or a memory. Mostly I just want to get in the bed and be able to go to sleep without my thoughts running rampant.