Welcome to Day 13 of the 30 Days of Encouragement series, Appetite Reduction! If you would like to read Day 1, click here.

Most of us are probably familiar with appetite reduction in poor food choices for better fitness and health. What if the same concept was applied to the less-than-savory moods and attitudes we each have? Let’s get to it.

Moods, Tudes, Just Plain Rude

We all have them…moods, tudes, and rudeness. Hopefully, those things are only occasionally, but we each have our moments. Some more than others. Some days seem to be nothing but one of the three or a mixture of all. It is a safe bet to assume that when someone is moody, cops an attitude, or is rude to any of us, it does not tend to be well accepted on our part. Probably about as well-received when we do any of the three to another person. Especially when the unsuspecting target was civil and polite.  

Hungry Like The Wolf

There is a Cherokee proverb you may or may not have heard. It goes like this: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

I love this proverb because we are all on equal footing. We are each contending with our wolves day in and day out. Deciding which one we will feed.

Hey There, Little Red Riding Hood

Another familiar tale with a hungry wolf is Little Red Riding Hood by the Grimm Brothers. Give it a good read if you haven’t in a while. It was disturbing – like most of the Grimm’s tales. Short version: a little girl is on her way to see her sick grandmother, who lives in the woods. We shall call the girl Red. Her mother tells her to stay on the path. She meets with a wolf who intends to eat both the grandmother and Red. For his plan to unfold, the wolf deceives Red, and she leaves the path. He succeeds in his deception and consumes Red along with her grandmother as he planned.  

When it comes to the wolves we battle internally, I often wonder if I am feeding the desired wolf or if the undesired wolf is feeding on me? I like to think I am in control and am feeding the good wolf more than the bad, but then one meal to the bad wolf and a moment of mood turns into a day.

The Huntsman

It feels so good to give in to the crummy wolf. For example, self-pity (one of my go-to evil wolves) is delightful for a while, maybe even a day. However, through trickery or deception, the wolf turns to feed on you at some point, which prolongs the day of self-pity to weeks and possibly years before you realize it. What do we do to prevent those situations? Send a Huntsman, of course.

In Little Red Riding Hood, a Huntsman comes along and cuts Red along with her grandmother out of the belly of the wolf, replaces them with rocks (something with no nutritional value), and the wolf dies. Here are some ideas to defeat the wolf.

• Set a time limit. If you are struggling with a mood or attitude, tell yourself you have x amount of time. This could be ten minutes or a day or a few days if it is awful. Once that time is up, though, that’s it. The mood or attitude’s time is up, and you must change it. Do something!  Put on a song that always cheers you up, think of a funny incident, reach out to someone who makes you smile, get outdoors, exercise, eat something delicious, or all of the above. Caveat: this time limit does not allow you to treat others horribly, be conscious about yourself.
• Do something nice for someone else, whether you feel like it or not. Notice something good about another person and mention it to them. Bring your partner or roommate home something you know they enjoy as a surprise. Seeing someone else’s appreciation for a small, unexpected gift is always a mood shifter.
• Show gratitude. Start listing off things you are grateful for in your life. I have literally had to start with how grateful I am for my eyelashes. Give yourself a list of 10 things to be thankful for and say them aloud. This can help get the ball rolling. Silly things, meaningful things, anything.

When you lessen the food source of the evil wolf, its appetite will naturally begin to reduce. The “cravings” won’t be as intense. You will also be feeding the good wolf more without even realizing it. Making the entire process easier over time.

Until Next Time,

Rah