10/22/2025
It's that time of year again..... 🍫 🍬 🍭
It seems everywhere you look, you are bombarded with chocolate and candy in bright colors and adorable packaging.
You normally shop the perimeter of the grocery store to avoid temptations, but Halloween displays pop up earlier every year, seemingly covering every surface. Now, every grocery shop feels like you are running the gauntlet as you flex your willpower at every corner.
In a moment of weakness, you cave and purchase a box of your favorite treats. You tuck it away, but it still calls to you while you are watching TV late at night. Now, every day becomes a struggle not to tear open that package.
Before you know it, your office becomes a minefield. Candy bowls taunt you from the break-room, or worse yet, your very own desktop. Now, each work day has the added pressure of whether or not today is the day that you cave.
The thoughts start creeping in as you think, "maybe just one".
So, how do you avoid these temptations when they seem to be EVERYWHERE?
I have four words for you...
Play the tape forward!
Chances are, this isn't your first rodeo. You know how this story unfolds.
Don't focus on how good that piece of candy will taste.....focus on how it will make you feel and whether that one candy bar is a trap door.
If you can enjoy a single mini chocolate bar and go on with your day, then by all means, enjoy that treat. But, if you know that choice will snowball and result in a binge episode, then focus on the aftermath. Remind yourself of the physical discomfort, the self-loathing, and destructive tendencies that will follow.
Play the tape forward and free yourself from the chains of self-sabotage. ⛓
