An Avoider....a confession!

*The picture of Molly has nothing to do with this post...I just thought it was funny!

I've been plowing through the book by Dr. Oz, YOU on a Diet. It's actually not about "dieting" so much as it is about the science and psychology of eating, digestion, and losing/gaining weight. It a huge book of a lot of information, and since I am a major information junkie, I am enjoying it! Along the way there are several little tests to reveal your knowledge about certain topics related to health, your activity level, your eating/excercise style, etc. One test is about determining if you are an Avoider. It says that "avoiders typically have feelings of inadequacy and are hypersensitive to being negatively evaluated". Ouch! I really wanted to stop reading there, but then that would be avoding! The other criteria listed for this were things like:

• Unless I know I'm going to be liked, I'm hesitant to get involved in relationships


• All of my social situations feel like high school; I'm preoccupied with being criticized or rejected


• I don't engage in risky activities because my biggest fear is the risk of embarrassment


• My shirt's not coming off unless the lights are going off

There are more, but it said if you had 4 or more, you have strong avoidance tendencies. Uh oh.....! I have no idea why I feel the need to admit this in a blog that I think other people might actually read. I guess partly because it's something I really want to change....I don't want to be an avoider! I figure if other people know my weakenss, then maybe it will encourage me that much more to challenge myself. I also figure that maybe there are some other avoiders out there (there are some, right???), and maybe it would make you feel better, as it did me, to see that those characteristics are common enough to be listed in a book (and not a book of "why you might be a nut job!"). So here's my public confession, and my first attempt toward non-avoidance!