Weightiness

image from thejakartaglobe.com

This morning at the gym, I noticed that a regular member of the 5:45 class I take, was looking a good bit thinner. As soon as I saw her, I knew: something was going on in her personal life, her relationship. My suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when she spoke about a painting project at home and how she basically removed everything from her bedroom other than the switch plate covers.  There was no mistaking what she was saying, but, the instructor clarified by mouthing "divorce" to me.  Ah, yes. 

I know that people react to stress and challenges differently.  For some folks it's all about consumption; be it food, drink or retail.  While the appeal of sitting on the couch with a pint of Haagen Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond certainly holds an appeal, I usually try to avoid this kind of reaction.  I prefer instead to get more exercise or even monitor my eating a bit more closely in an attempt to garner a sense of control during times of uncertainty.

I was pondering this recently (I've been catching some flack about losing some weight) and believe I have a tendency to lose weight during crisis situations to counteract - to balance, my sense of emotional heaviness.  When I'm weighed down by emotion and choices and fear and opinions, I exercise more vigorously and eat more sparingly in an attempt to feel lighter.  Because, if I have to flee, I want to be ready.  It's survival.  It's human nature.

How do you deal with stressful situations?