Hello (again…already)!

So I have started SCS in the midst of some really crappy illness that for now I’m dealing with as a diagnosis of “post-viral fatigue” from having had mono (and I’m not even sure when that could have been, so it’s sort of unknown stuff). I’ve only just started SCS and have already gotten some great help in terms of thought work around the issue, but I’m struggling. As a matter of fact, I was on a solid track with eating and exercising before this hit me and overeating has reared its ugly head as a coping mechanism for all the uncertainty and feelings of uselessness that have come with being seriously physically limited from my symptoms. The thought work I’ve done around that has been realizing that I want to be able to cope regardless of what comes up and that I can’t rely on exercise and being able to accomplish daily tasks for my worth.

A couple of my symptoms throughout all of this has been an unending appetite and feeling totally weak, like I need to eat (my blood sugar levels are normal). I genuinely don’t think this is diet-related as I eat really well 85% of the time, save my weekly binges when I get so fed up with feeling hungry even after eating proper meals consistently that I say, “Screw it. I just want to feel satiated”–however, I do think I’ve just been using this as a “good excuse”. It makes it incredibly difficult to listen to my hunger cues, and I’ve had to be creative. It’s an interesting conundrum having to separate my overeating issues from physical symptoms that make it feel as though I need to eat–but even binges don’t fully satiate me. It’s the most frustrating thing because mentally I’m motivated and excited, but my body isn’t havin’ it.

Sorry for the long post, and I’m not asking for medical advice of course, but how would you deal with having physical limitations that you aren’t used to? How would you frame this to move through it? I keep telling myself that it’s understandable why I feel the need to overeat, but that it’s actually not the solution and isn’t an excuse to do so: understandable, but not an excuse.

Thanks so much,

Callan