New Eating Peace Masterclass on the Barriers in The Mind That Come Between Us And Eating Peace. Watch the webinar live on Tuesday 1/10 at 5:30 pm or Weds 1/11 at 8:30 am. Register here. (It’s free).
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When it came to food and eating, or weight loss and getting into shape, the first place my mind always went was to the solution.
I’ll eat like “x” and avoid “y” and add this exercise to my daily routine and resist “z” and control myself and apply willpower. I read many books on nutrition and dieting, all of which had pages of information about what was happening with the cells and molecules in the body, what recipes I should follow in the kitchen, and how I should plan my day (take the stairs, not the elevator).
All of that was ridiculous, considering the actual problem was in my mind. It was in the way I viewed the world, and how I was adapting to very stressful situations.
I was full of fear, anxiety, worry, nervousness and discomfort in some areas when it came to living life….
….and the way I adapted and coped show up in the way I ate.
The way through this very agonizing dilemma?
Identify clearly your stressful beliefs and fears, and question them. Find the opposites, the turnarounds, and practice living them.
When I questioned my fearful assumptions about life (and eating, food and body image) I cracked open the barriers I had to freedom.
I still feel nervous and anxious sometimes–I still have bad dreams occasionally, or concerns and I’m not sure how to handle a situation. But turning to food to handle them, or to help me cope or comfort or support my emotional state, is not something that even occurs to me. Nothing like it once was.
To begin to understand what your blocks are to freedom from compulsive eating (or any compulsive behavior) you can start with Byron Katie’s wonderful question that invites us to see what we’re afraid of. It’s not comfortable, always. But it’s profound, and offers insight to our inner fears that can be found in no other way than by identifying them, and looking at them.
The great question?
What’s the worst that could happen?
Here’s how. (The text on the screen will vanish in 50 seconds, hang tight at the beginning if you find it distracting).
Much love,
Grace