How to Release Mental Weight

 I’ve been thinking about the subject of mental weight recently.

Mental weights are those things that “weigh” on your mind, most often things that you are:

  • Worried about
  • Procrastinating on
  • Just thinking “I really need to do that” in general

I believe that mental weight contributes to physical weight.

Why?

Because your stress level increases when you allow things or people to weigh on your mind.

Many people engage in negative health behaviors, such as emotional eating, to calm themselves down or cheer themselves up. 

But when you focus on dropping mental weight each day, then you decrease your risk of those behaviors.

The easiest way to start releasing mental weight is to do a brain dump. Just write down everything you want or need to do something about.

Try to write down 100 things. You may not reach 100 but it is amazing what you can think of when you are striving for that number!

Once you’ve dumped everything out of your brain, then apply the “1 thing” rule to determine which items on your list to tackle first.

The antidote for feeling overwhelmed is to “Simplify.”

So to simplify, you want to ask yourself “1 thing” questions like:

  • What is the 1 thing I must do today that will have negative consequences if I don’t do it?
  • What is the 1 thing I can do today that will make me feel best when I complete it?
  • What is the 1 thing I can do today that will improve my life/health the most?

“1 thing” questions help you set daily priorities. Acting according to daily priorities helps you ensure that the most important things in your life get done.

Years ago, I was given multiple project responsibilities with deadlines I knew I could not meet. So I asked my manager, “Which project is the priority?”

She responded: “Everything is a priority.”

No, everything cannot be a priority! By definition, a priority is “a thing that is regarded as more important than another.”

So if you are making everything important, then your mind is divided and your focus is split. You run from one task to another, never feeling successful at any because you cannot give each task full attention.

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 90:12:

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Your days are numbered, so make each one count with right priorities!

In addition to releasing task-related mental weight, some of you need to release people-related weight! Remember, you cannot control or change another adult. You can influence them, but not change them.

So if you are trying to do that, you are fighting a losing battle.

Pray for them, then mentally release them to make their own choices, fix their own mistakes, or clean up their own messes.

As you know, it is hard enough working on the things God has told you to change, never mind trying to fix someone else!

What mental weights do you need to get rid of? Start the process today and with consistent practice, you will see that releasing physical weight becomes easier too.

About the author 

Kimberly Taylor

Kimberly Taylor is a certified Christian life coach and has a heart to help others struggling with emotional eating and weight loss. Once 240 pounds and a size 22, she can testify of God’s goodness and healing power to overcome. She lost 85 pounds as a result of implementing techniques to overcome emotional eating and binge eating disorder.

Kim is the author of "The Take Back Your Temple Program," which teaches Christians how to take control of their weight God's way and the books "The Weight Loss Scriptures" and "The Weight Loss Prayers."

Kim has been featured in Prevention Magazine, Charisma Magazine and on CBN’s 'The 700 Club' television program.

  • Thank you once again. Really what I needed to hear. I get so much on my mind and then I get nothing done. My mind is always in over drive. I need to cast all my cares on God only He is in control. I thank God for your ministry. May God bless you.

  • Kimberly, I want to thank you for your encouraging and inspirational emails. They touch me and I am sending some of them to a couple of friends to encourage them. Hope that is ok, God bless you.

  • I know my discovering your website was truly the Lord’s leading. I serve in leadership positions in a couple of ministries. The Body of Christ IS the family where the world can find support and strength in the power of God. Power to forgive, power to heal. And yet, we don’t always act that way …. sadly, the very Body that should be loving is hurting thier own. The Lord has allowed me to experience betrayal and rejection in the church to the point where I have 70lbs. of unwanted stress on me in the form of fat. Just sayin… 🙂 HOWEVER, God is always good and His love never once left me on my own, although loneliness and fear of man set in quickly like a dark night. Nine years of suffering in the church … quietly, seeking the Father for strength… hiding from others… not looking them in the eye for fear of rejection. You see it I have never been one to side with popular or powerful people just because they want what they want. 🙂 The Lord requires us to filter everything through His Word, test the spirits and stand for Truth. And this also means standing alone sometimes… standing on Truth has a cost. But it’s worth it. “Teach us Lord to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12. Heart work is never easy. Today is the day to take back the temple of God. Today is the day to shed the mental weight that I might once again know His freedom. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. No more hiding from others… time to square those shoulders and adjust that mantle and get to stepping. I am thankful today for the weight I must lose. I am thankful for the opportunity to know my Jesus through it. I have made up my mind (even if my body says “NO”) to honor my Lord. God has been good to me … He will see me through this. Thank you Kim 🙂 you are just what I needed to read today. Thank you for your testimony and for the creative and powerful way you are ministering to us. I look forward to getting to know you and others in this website as we set out on this journey together. TAKE IT BACK!

  • This is exactly what I needed to read…I have a bunch of important issues to deal with in my life right now. I am struggling to decide which is the highest priority, and I am just getting more frustrated. Lots of guilt accompanies this, which I know is not how God wants me to think. So I am going to make the list, talk to God about it, and live one day at a time — I hope to drop the mental baggage and people baggage I carry, and so reduce the stress I feel. Thanks for your ministry!

  • You are amazing ! I downloaded your How to Stop Binge Eating course. It was very good. You are the first person I’ve come across who understands what it’s all about. I’m 51 years old, been an emotional eater all my life. I am ready to work along with God to overcome this. Thank you, Kimberly, for all you are giving to others. God Bless. Next payday I plan on getting the ebook bundle.

  • I Love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He knows all about us what we are thinking even if we don’t say it to him. When I left home I said I will have a salad for dinner, my daughter calls me with bad new that upset me next thing you know I was standing in line at Subway and saying to myself why can’t I control this when gettingupset I eat and then Ii get donuts and a payday and that really eased my mind. Thank God today you come with this I love it and I will ddefinitely try thank you for your obedience.
    Love you and be Bllessed

  • Ugh. God has used your emails to speak to me this week! Just yesterday I didn’t care what I ate just eat it fast to comfort me. I then feel guilty knowing God wants me to go to Him. . . which I do eventually anyway. I am super stressed right now coming off a high from a women’s retreat and stepping back into reality.

  • Thank you Kimberly! Your regular posts are simple and rich, like a fine dessert.
    My middle-aged weight struggle continues but my heart and soul are orbiting closer to our loving Savior each day! Keep up this good work. Wishing you a wonderful April.

  • Kim, you’ve done it again. Wonderful insight into how we workaholics can better prioritize what truly needs to be accomplished and when. Maybe we won’t wear ourselves out doing things that aren’t truly necessary. Thank you for sharing this! Blessings.

    • Thank you Kim! Right on time and very insightful and helpful. I just discovered you and you are indeed a blessing. God Bless.

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