ANEB Fundraising & My Anxiety

Hello my lovely fudgies! :)
(if you just want to read about the ANEB fundraising, skip to the bold text at the bottom of the page)

My name is Gabby, I suffer from anxiety, and that's okay.
I know it's okay because we all have things about ourselves that make us feel weak.
But I also know it's okay because it doesn't have to limit me or my goals, au contraire. 

In fact, one of the many reasons I started the blog was because I wanted to get my thoughts, my feelings and my story out into the world, but I wasn't always able to do so when talking to someone face to face, because of said anxiety. This might sound funny to some, since I can be quite a sassy, sarcastic b**tch writer, but trust me, that's just what the voice in my head sounds like, not the one that comes out of my mouth.  So I wrote. I wrote about my life, my victories and my struggles. I wrote about all the things I couldn't tell the people around me.

And because I started writing, and more and more people started reading, all these amazing things started to come my way. I started writing for some of my favourite blogs and magazines, I interned at various mental health non-profits, and, to be completely honest with you all,  I never would have gotten into the school I now attend had it not been for the FP.

So all these wonderful opportunities opened up to me in some way due to my anxiety ridden brain.
But the FP hasn't taught me to use my vulnerability as a crutch or a shield, to play the victim and let it run my life.
OH, NO. TRUST.
The FP has also pushed me way, like lightyears away, out of my comfort zone.

When I heard that ANEB, an eating disorder non profit that has always treated me kindly was going through some difficult financial struggles, I felt personally compelled, as I know many of their employees and volunteers, to help out as best as lil' ole me could.

So as mentioned in my Help ANEB Help Others article, linked right here, I set up a few bracelet displays around my area at independently-owned salons.
What I didn't mention was what I had to go through to get my little booty into those stores.

Now I have a terrible fear of counters, sale's counters (basically the cash, IDK what it's fancy name is) and receptionist's desks, because I am prone to having panic attacks when I go up to these aforementioned satanic spots (kidding).

So i think you, especially those who also suffer from anxiety, can imagine how nervous I was to go up to a counter, on my own, and ask if I could sell my bracelets there. Unreal. I considered spiking my orange juice with some strong liquor to calm myself down, but I figured drunk Gabby wasn't a great rep for ANEB's cause.

So as I got to the strip mall where my first stop is situated, running my speech over and over again in my head, I headed towards the salon. I was walking, I was getting closer, but then the receptionist looked at me and I thought NOPE, completely chickened out and headed towards the drugstore.
I then collected myself, put on a bright albeit ridiculously fake confident smile and set my sights on the salon, but again, panicked, pulled a 180 and hid behind the magazine counter.

I repeated this cycle at least 3 times, I KID YOU NOT MY LOVES, until I finally got to the counter. The lady behind the desk looked up from her magazine and I quickly, inarticulately blurted out my prepared sales pitch, and for some reason, THEY SAID YES!

I couldn't believe it, I practically rode home on a cloud of excitement fairy dust.

So because I buckled down and pushed past my irrational phobias, in 2 months, with the help of local salons, we raised 103 $ for ANEB and I cannot tell you all how amazing that feels. It's obviously not enough to fill their entire budget deficit, but the little things can always make a difference.

So that's my challenge to you. Find something you really want, but you never thought you could do. Here's the truth; mind over body. Your body is capable of saying, performing and doing so many incredible things, you can't let your brain crush who you have the potential to become.

I  hope my silliness has been entertaining for you all,
Have a fantastic week my babies <3

xoxo

Gabby

Grace

Hello fudgies!
I have missed you all so much, but I have been very busy lately, and also very blessed, which is why I want to write this post.

These past few months, I have been blessed with some wonderful news, on top of everything else I am already thankful for. I try to make sure that I am conscious of these blessings, but if there is one thing I didn't always treat with gratitude, it was my food.

I used to, and unfortunately still do sometimes, human nature's imperfection and all, use food as a coping mechanism. Food was therefor no longer a vital part of my day, it became of drug. And that needed to change.

So I decided to start saying grace before my meals. Now THIS IS IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM A RELIGIOUS TRADITION I AM OBLIGING TO, I do not thank any particular god or higher being. If you want to do so, by all means, if not, the results will be the same.

I simply take a milli second before eating to realize that this meal is a gift many in this world do not possess.

What it does for me is change the way I view food. It's not a way to lose control or self destruct. It is food, and that is enough.

I just wanted to let you all know so you can try it out! Disordered relationship with food or not, counting your blessings can brighten your day!

Have a great week, doll faces<3
Xoxoxo
Gabby

BINGEtervention: how to control binging <3

Hello my beautiful fudgies,

In the past, I always felt like no matter how many tips, trick or challenges I thought of for you guys, there was always one very important issue I wasn't conquerin: how to control binging.

Even though I talked about why you shouldn't binge in a previous post (click here to check it out),
I couldn't apply it to my real life for more than 2 weeks without my resolve weakening and my unhealthy eating habits creeping back into my life.

Until now.

This trick may seem simple, and it may not work for you, but hopefully it can help someone else who struggles with this issue.


Write it out for Friday: 
Here's how I do it:

1. Pick a day in the week when you get to indulge in whatever pleases your cravings (preferably a day when you are relaxed, like Friday, Saturday or Sunday, according  to your lifestyle, so you don't eat under stress but rather for a reward) and try to keep that same day each week.

Mine is Friday, because on most Fridays I head over to my friend's house and we watch the best guilty pleasure show in the history of television: Vampire Diaries.

2. Throughout the week, if you are suddenly hit with a craving, write it down in your agenda, on your phone, or wherever. You will have that item, or a list of items, to choose from on Friday when you dip into your food sins :)

3. On Friday, those cravings will probably have died down, so you can pick one or two things from that list and enjoy them slowly, knowing very well you deserve it. 

That's it. 
Almost sounds too easy, right?

Just trust me on this one, after a lifetime of eating then crying then...well yall know, applying unhealthy, ridiculous weight loss techniques,  I FEEL FREE, AND LIGHT, AND LOVELY.

Well...that last one is often from you guys <3 (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwww)

xoxoxoxoxoooooooo
Gabby