

© Sandee Nebel
Eating disorders are closely tied to emotional issues, whether you’re dealing with compulsive overeating, binge eating disorder, anorexia, bulimia, or body image issues.
People turn to unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits when they don’t know how else to cope with difficult feelings. This pattern can turn into a dangerous cycle that becomes more deeply rooted and difficult to change as time passes.
Making decisions can cause stress and anxiety for any of us. We fear making the wrong choice, we fear the unknown consequences of our choice, and we fear that life is passing us by while we agonize over our choice.
It’s okay to not know what’s coming next. It’s okay to pause before leaping into the next action. It’s okay to still be undecided. It’s about learning how to be comfortable with discomfort, and to tolerate challenging feelings – without numbing them or punishing yourself for having them.
Eventually, we can even learn to embrace discomfort, knowing that after discomfort comes growth and peace. Recovery is like planting a garden. Both take patience and willingness to plant seeds in different places and then see what blooms.
In my life, I’m learning to turn indecision into a positive – an opportunity to stretch and learn new things. I’ve recently left a job that was hyper-focused in one area, and now I’m opening myself up to different possibilities.
I’m designing a new space for therapy sessions and workshops in the Tampa/Clearwater area, and I’m still running a limited private practice in Winter Park at the White Picket Fence Counseling Center.
I’m also supervising other therapists, mostly people doing certification and licensure for eating disorder specialties, as well as consulting in corporate and other settings.
I know myself well enough to understand I need this kind of variety in my life. When I try to force myself to choose one thing, it can backfire.
With lifting weights, for example, if I try to keep up the same routine week after week, I inevitably give it up and go back to other forms of movement instead. If I switch out my strength training routine, I’ll stick with it for longer.
In my professional life, this means working in a mix of settings, dividing my time between contract work and private practice, and working with different types of clients. In fact, every time I’ve decided to narrow my focus, someone comes along who is a perfect client fit for me but the exact opposite of the group I’d chosen.
Are you willing to let yourself stay undecided about something in your life? What do you notice when you do?