--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Negative emotion is fed by the fight or…" description: "\"“Negative emotion is fed by the fight or the habit that compounds it. If I am feeling lonely and I overeat, I will feel even more so when the eating is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/brooke-castillo-17259_change_negative-emotion-is-fed-by-the-fight-or_777063.jpg" --- # Negative emotion is fed by the fight or the habit that… ![“Negative emotion is fed by the fight or the habit that compounds it. If I am feeling lonely and I overeat, I will feel even more so when the eating is done. Most likely I will get an added dose of shame and frustration after the food coma passes. No matter what the unwanted action is you have in…” quote by Brooke Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/brooke-castillo-17259_change_negative-emotion-is-fed-by-the-fight-or_777063.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/brooke-castillo-17259_change_negative-emotion-is-fed-by-the-fight-or_777063.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b7/brooke-castillo-17259_change_negative-emotion-is-fed-by-the-fight-or_777063.jpg) > ““Negative emotion is fed by the fight or the habit that compounds it. If I am feeling lonely and I overeat, I will feel even more so when the eating is done. Most likely I will get an added dose of shame and frustration after the food coma passes. No matter what the unwanted action is you have in your life, you can start to eliminate it by doing this process: 1.   Stop taking the action. 2.   Notice the desire to “fight” or use “willpower” against the emotion that arises (you will typically lose this battle). 3.   Relax into the underlying emotion and breathe. Notice the emotion from the witness perspective. 4.   Keep relaxing and keep breathing and notice the thoughts that come up. 5.   Write down the thought. 6.   Acknowledge that if you want to change the habit, you must change the thought. Permanent change is never made by fighting or intense willpower.”” [Brooke Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-castillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Negative emotions are amplified by fighting them; instead, observe, breathe, and rewrite the underlying thoughts to break the habit loop. **In simple terms:** Stop fighting feelings; observe and change thoughts. Key Takeaway Practice mindful observation and thought journaling. Themes emotional regulation habit change mindfulness self-compassion Mood calm introspective Type self-help psychology When to use this quote - stress management - eating habits - loneliness coping - personal growth Key Concepts Cognitive restructuring acceptance breathing techniques Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you tend to fight? - How can you shift from resistance to observation? A Different Perspective Requires discipline to consistently notice and record thoughts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Feeling lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-lonely/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) ## Related quotes > [I try not to overeat (which is my biggest problem), and I find that when I'm eating quality foods from good sources, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rodriguez/i-try-not-to-overeat-which-is-my-biggest-problem-and-i-find-that-when/) [Adam Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rodriguez/) > [When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/when-a-habit-emerges-the-brain-stops-fully-participating-in-decision-2/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/when-a-habit-emerges-the-brain-stops-fully-participating-in-decision/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [I feel eating healthy is more important than working out in the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raashi-khanna/i-feel-eating-healthy-is-more-important-than-working-out-in-the-gym/) [Raashi Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raashi-khanna/) > [I do get scared about the physical danger from drug dealers. 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Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-r-davis/) > [The bond that links family is not one of blood, but of Respect and joy we give to each others life!And in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jsv/the-bond-that-links-family-is-not-one-of-blood-but-of-respect-and-joy/) [JSV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jsv/) > [Discouragement is a negative emotion with more than one trick up its dark sleeve. It tricks you into mentally or emotionally dwelling in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/discouragement-is-a-negative-emotion-with-more-than-one-trick-up-its/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [Illness or pain is just an extension of negative emotion. When you are no longer feeling any resistance to it, it's a non-issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/illness-or-pain-is-just-an-extension-of-negative-emotion-when-you-are/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“Younger people could dredge up an impressive number of dark words to express their pain. As writers got older and older, their negative emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-pennebaker/younger-people-could-dredge-up-an-impressive-number-of-dark-words-to/) [James W. Pennebaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-pennebaker/) > [We would never move forward in the face of negative emotion. There are many people who would teach you otherwise. 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. 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If I am feeling lonely and I overeat, I will feel even more so when the eating is done. Most likely I will get an added dose of shame and frustration after the food coma passes. No matter what the unwanted action is you have in your life, you can start to eliminate it by doing this process: 1.   Stop taking the action. 2.   Notice the desire to “fight” or use “willpower” against the emotion that arises (you will typically lose this battle). 3.   Relax into the underlying emotion and breathe. Notice the emotion from the witness perspective. 4.   Keep relaxing and keep breathing and notice the thoughts that come up. 5.   Write down the thought. 6.   Acknowledge that if you want to change the habit, you must change the thought. 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