Have you heard of this yet? I just heard about it and I am torn between wanting to roll my eyes at the "discovery" of yet another "syndrome" and being kind of interested because there are parts of it I think make sense.

Either way, I have to believe an American is behind the outing of this malaise. I could be wrong, but it just seems sooooo very American. And I am saying that as someone who LOVES my country and our people, but sometimes, ya know - we are just so very American ;-)

Anyhoo.... Delight Deficiency Syndrome is being touted as one of the possible causes for some compulsive behaviors. In my case, this came up during discussions around compulsive overeating. And by overeating, I mean one person consuming enough food to support a small country for weeks.

That may be a slight exaggeration. I am sure I have never eaten more than what might feed a medium-sized town for example.

The theory is that some of us have lives that are so filled with the need to be productive and to constantly be accomplishing something, performing, producing, creating, delivering... that we systematically deprive ourselves of delight and joy.

Over time, this builds and then we search for easy, quick gratification substitutes. Drugs, alcohol, gambling, food - wouldn't you know it, a piece of chocolate, or a fabulous cheese, or a chip filled with salty, greasy goodness actually provides our brain with brief moments of sublime delight and pleasure. Who'd a thunk it?

I can see this. Food can taste amazingly good and yes, I think eating certain flavors does bring true delight, even joy. Heck, there is a reason that one of the questions throughout the ages has been: "would you rather have sex or a warm chocolate chip cookie?" and why the answer is "depends on the partner and the cookie!"

It's about almost primal gratification, giving something to ourselves that we feel is missing. I can see this being one of the causes of chronic overeating, though I do not think it's limited to a lack of delight. I see many people (been one), who also overeat for other emotional reasons.

What I do like about Delight Deficiency Syndrome is that it's a really good reminder that we need to do wonderful things for ourselves, and frequently! We need to treat ourselves well, to live well; to bring joy and delight into our lives in many ways.

And it's not just for ourselves that we should do this. If you are not taking care of yourself well, you are not taking care of others as well as you could be. That could mean family, friends, even clients!

If you think you may occasionally suffer from DDS (the acronym is killing me, LOL), then try to make a commitment to yourself to find a way to bring some delight into your life.

Find things that make you feel really good, be it a warm chocolate chip cookie or anything else that may work for you ;-)

Salud!

Allison

Oh, and for those following my Losing Weight; Making Buddies challenge, I lost exactly 1 more pound this week, bringing it to 24 pounds in 8 weeks. I was a little disappointed because I biked and walked about 25 miles this week and did a great job making healthy food choices. However, it beats not losing anything, so I'll take it! allisonhouston.wikidot.c
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