This video primarily addresses Kindness to others,
but Kindness to oneself is also important,
and is helpful in resolving body image problems.

Before my successful weight-loss I learned to have
compassion for the unwanted parts of myself,
and gained willingness to appreciate myself as lovable
even with my imperfections.

Research exists which shows that as body perception improves,
women are better able to self-regulate their eating, and lose weight.

Dr. Pedro Teixeira, from the Technical University of Lisbon,
who led such a research project, said:

“Body image problems are very common amongst overweight
and obese people, often leading to comfort eating and more
rigid eating patterns, and are obstacles to losing weight.

“Our results showed a strong correlation between improvements
in body image, especially in reducing anxiety about other peoples’ opinions,
and positive changes in eating behavior.

“From this we believe that learning to relate to your body in healthier ways
is an important aspect of maintaining weight loss and should be addressed
in every weight control program.”

At a future time, I plan to write more about this issue, including a few things we can do 
to improve our personal body image.

      

                           

Stress is a symptom of something else.
It's a sign that we're trying to evade the here-and-now
for the what-might-be or what-once-was.

In a National Public Radio Interview: Eckhart Tolle spoke to Christa Tippett about this.

MR. TOLLE:   What is stress?
Stress is normal in our civilization
but really basically what it means
is you would rather be somewhere else.

Stress means you want to be in the next moment
or you want already to be finished with what you're doing
while you're still doing it.

You would rather be finished with it.
Or while you're traveling towards someplace,
you'd rather already be there.

MS. TIPPETT: OK.

MR. TOLLE: But you're not.
And stress is so normal that everybody accepts
that, OK, if you're successful in life then you must be under stress.

MS. TIPPETT: Right. But I think counterintuitively
you're saying you lean in rather than wishing it away.

MR. TOLLE: Yes. It's by becoming friendly with the present moment.
What's my relationship, is the present moment my friend or my enemy?
Another little pointer. And it's a strange question, but if you look very closely,
you'd find that very often you make the present moment into virtually an enemy.
Or it becomes an obstacle.

MS. TIPPETT: And you're saying that we do have the power.
Whatever is enclosed in that moment,
we have the power not to define it as an obstacle.
And that's going to change the way we approach it.

MR. TOLLE: Yes. The first thing is the realization of what you're doing.
In other words, one could say: "see the madness in yourself".
And that's not a bad thing; it's a great thing,
because that is not something to be depressed about.
That means that you are awakening.
And that which is awakening is the awareness behind the thinking.

We have no choice but to experience each and every moment of life.
We could anesthetize ourselves using various drugs, or drinks, or excess food,
but that's an entirely different topic.

We are here physically regardless of how we feel mentally,
but we can feel better if we try to synch our mind and body…
If we try to be really present
and find small moments of happiness throughout the day.

Down the road, perhaps we will change our lives
and find larger, more permanent ways to inject happiness into it.
But for right now, this moment, we need to try to find small moments of happiness.

Changing one’s mindset from merely existing to really living isn't easy,
but once you do it, it is surprising at how contagious a positive attitude can be.

This afternoon I'm picking up a rental car,
then picking up my web-genius son,
and driving us to Los Angeles to VidCon.

VidCon is short for the annual YouTube Video Convention.
The first was in 2010, and this will be the second.
All 1200 spots have been sold out for quite some time.
I got an e-mail a few weeks ago asking anyone who had  ticket
but had changed their plans and didn't intend to go,
to return it for a full refund, because there is a waiting list of more than 1000.

I'm taking 1,100 individually wrapped, tiny, homemade, diet cookies
for the "YouTube Grandma" (me)  to pass out.
I've devised a plan on how and when I'm going to do that,
and I'll be interested to see how it works out.

I can admit to you, my friends who read DietHobby,
that VidCon, for me, is 90% about pleasing my son.
He produces, films and edits all of the videos of one of the YouTube "superstars",
and knows some of the big names there...however, he, himself, does not have a "big" name,
and he is a little anxious about how it's all going to go for him.

The hotel was sold out, so he will be sleeping in an extra bed in my room
which means I'll be more involved in his life than usual.
I just want everything to work out for him, and if it doesn't go as he hopes,
it is going to take a great deal of energy for me to remain positive.

This is sort of a first for us.
It could be a really good time, or the opposite.
However, I am determined to maintain a positive attitude
and I have made plans to guarantee that I, personally,
will have the best time possible...no matter what.

If I can find the time, I will make daily entries here,
and if not...please know that I'm thinking about you.

Today's video was based on my Thoughts about VidCon
and the social organization there, the stars, the fans, and the others.
Sociology was my college major, and I have always found such issues interesting.

Courage is a critical resource that we all need.

To clarify an important point:
People often believe that being brave means that you are not afraid,
but the reality is actually the opposite.
Bravery is acting in spite of fear -- not without it.

Taking the next indicated step is the basis for any courageous action.
It’s just about the next step, because the ones after that one,
can be dealt with in their own time.

We all have courage,
but it’s easy for fear to overwhelm our courageous actions.
By focusing on our own personal goals,
and advancing one step at a time,
we can move on to greater levels in life,
and face challenges we might once have thought impossible.

Todays' "Words of Wisdom" video (see below)
mentions the space between Stimulus and Response.

Many people are not aware that such a space exists.
But awareness of the existence of that space
is a pre-requisite to the use of it.

I've learned that ...if I look...that space is there,
even for me...who is a person with
a long history of bingeing and compusive eating.

It might be more difficult for some than for others,
but...despite what we may tell ourselves...
or what we are told by "eating disorder experts"
each of us always has that choice....

But before we can use it,
we need to become conscious of it.