Ah, grasshopper, I think you're getting it!

I think a lot of people confuse what I call stomach hunger and head hunger. I find that I welcome the sensation of stomach hunger, as it means that I have an empty place to put good food, which will then digest nicely and feel good. I've come to dislike the way it feels to eat before I get to that growly stomach point, because it usually means I'm adding more food into the mix of an ongoing digestive process.

Head hunger is not so much fun. It's relentless, prowly, naggy, and kind of insistently rude. At this point, it's usually a signal to me that there's something I my life I'm not managing--emotions, unwillingness to speak up in my own defense, etc.

I've also learned to prioritize doing the things that make me happy, pretty much on a daily basis. That's where I sort out the emotions. It's just progress along a continuum, and there are still moments when I get it mixed up. A few weeks ago I was in the middle of a plumbing disaster (no running water except from the light fixture in the kitchen ceiling--that's wrong, right?) and found myself staring into an open refrigerator as if I might find a plumber in there. But I was able to remind myself that food wasn't going to fix it, and shut the door. We struggle with a powerful set of habit patterns and programming, and it's not going away overnight.

But I'm happy to hear that when you're (stomach) hungry, you eat.