I’ve recently lost some weight. i was emotionally eating. i became more aware of it and made some conscious decisions. decisions about how and what i eat. when i get the feelings of wanting to stuff my face with sugar or potato chips ill ask myself ‘what am i searching for?’ or…. ill stuff my face with sugar and or potato chips. the stuffing has become far less than before. hence, I’ve lost some weight. I’m not writing about losing weight or eating habits or why i stuff myself- i still have no fucking clue.
what I’m writing about is my obsession with telling people they look good. i do it all the time… all the time.
just the other day i was coming out of the post office and told a complete stranger that the color shirt she was wearing looked really good on her. it was a compulsion. i did not even realize i was saying it- till it was said.
why??
when people say to me, whoa you’ve lost weight, you look great, i at first think- fuck yeah, thanks! i feel good. someone noticed something positive about me and has brought it to my attention. superficially speaking this is a kind act- an act of spreading good vibes and making people feel good. i get it. and i actually really appreciate it. i also want it to stop. i want both and.
i want to give conscious compliments, not compulsive ones…
being nice and a good person is important to me. its also a challenge for me. I’m naturally kind of a bitchy person. i can be very negative. looking for positivity and then affirming it are good practices for my soul. the positives of someones physical appearance is low hanging fruit.
i can do better. i can interact better.
i’ve been NOT handing out compliments on appearance. they still slip out from time to time. AND, what I’m noticing about the slip moments??
they happen when I AM feeling insecure, when I AM feeling uncomfortable, when I don’t know what to say…
i think partially my subconscious strategy is: ‘oh let me tell you something i like about you, while I’m having this incredibly awkward moment, this way you will like me regardless of how uncomfortable i am in my own skin right now- you’ll like me because i made you feel good and if you like me, i like me…’
this may be too much analyzing for a simple compliment, not to mention extremely codependent. it also resonates. I’m so uncomfortable with silence and this practice of not mentioning peoples appearance has brought out many moments of silence. silence in which I’m learning to not be so uncomfortable in.

