Violent Thinking=Violent Feeling=Violent Acting

When you're afraid, and you believe it's all true, you may try to escape
When you’re afraid, and you believe it’s all true, you may try to escape

Eating Peace in-person 3 Day Immersion Retreat is coming October 9-11 in north Seattle or November 13-15 in Newark area outside San Francisco. (And I’ll teach it a third time Jan 22-24 here in Seattle again). Mental health counselors earn 32 CEUs.

This Grace Note isn’t just for people with eating issues….

….it’s for those of us who do weird things that don’t make sense, that seem out of integrity to our truest nature.

Things that hurt, or hinder, or damage, or diminish something in our experience.

After many years of eating wars and studying how to stop the insanity I experienced….

….and then working with clients one on one for over a decade….

….I discovered some very common themes and deep-seated fears people experience who don’t know how to eat in peace.

Many of these things are true for people who eat without trouble, but do OTHER things without peace.

I started with myself, of course.

When it comes to the way I ate, I remember it well.

It was a *horrible* way to live.

Overeating, binge-eating, emotional eating, over-exercising, getting up at 5 am, avoiding meals with friends and family, pushing, pushing, pushing…..

…..ugh, what a nut-case.

What a painful life.

I didn’t know how to solve my problem of war-like activity. Constantly, my solution was to find a special or perfect way to do different activity. A different diet, a different exercise routine.

What I didn’t know was that the way I ate was not really my problem.

It was a symptom (you’ve all heard this before, I know).

My actual problem was war-like hateful thinking and feeling.

But I couldn’t see it at the time. I always thought something was wrong with me.

Thank goodness for the teachers, helpers, and healers I encountered along the way.

And thank goodness for my extreme, horrendous, life-threatening behavior…..because it made me HAVE to look, instead of avoid looking year after year.

Eating is NOT the only way war manifests in peoples’ lives.

Which is why I’m talking about it in Grace Notes (rather than only on Eating Peace news or videos, and if you want to see Eating Peace videos, just update your subscription at the very end fine print).

But you may have noticed, people have so many other very agonizing activities they engage in regularly that they don’t really want to be doing…..definitely not just food and eating.

So let’s take a look at how to work with difficult feelings (that lead to such difficult behaviors).

My thoughts and feelings in the past were violent.

When you believe violent thoughts about yourself, about your past, about other people…..you’re scared.

You feel powerless. You feel angry. You feel hateful.

Sometimes you feel like you wish you were dead.

Sometimes you ream on other people and categorize others as evil and dangerous (you’re violent in your mind towards them).

Even if you NEVER have taken a bite of food in your life that was emotional rather than based on physical need…..

…..you probably have done something in your life that you really wish you hadn’t, later.

You may have experienced the feeling of self-criticism, sadness, discouragement, depression or shame.

Have you ever noticed that even when you know a ton of stuff about some topic it doesn’t matter sometimes how much you know?

You study about diet, or money, physical fitness, communication, relationships, business, health, success….

….but nothing really changes.

You still tank on the action becoming different.

You still yell at your kid, you’re still late, you still get super anxious, you still drink too much, you still spend a huge chunk of money outside of your budget, you still surf the internet for an extra two hours, you still worry, you still cheat on taxes, you’re out of integrity.

In Eating Peace we dive into the process of exploring how it happens that even with all the knowledge in the world about nutrition, diet, glucose levels, good-feeling foods, foods for your body type, cave-man diet, or mindful eating, or a getting a degree in medicine…..

…..you still eat when you aren’t hungry, or eat the foods you know don’t work well with your body.

I’m sharing this with you all (not just people interested in Eating Peace) because looking at stressful behaviors when you think you know better is seriously interesting.

And seriously disturbing and discouraging.

Doing something you’ve vowed not to do is also fairly common.

  • Why do I eat when I already know it ends in physical pain and I’m clearly not hungry?
  • Why do I spend money when I already decided I’m trying to save for that special thing and I want to do?
  • Why do I rip that woman to shreds in my head and decide to fire her without explanation?
  • Why do I fantasize regularly about my old boyfriend?
  • Why do I get all freaked out about the next steps in my career that are pretty obvious?
  • Why do I never sit down and finish that book proposal?
  • Why do I race from spiritual teacher to spiritual teacher and fifty retreats a year trying to find enlightenment?

When is enough, enough?

Why is it NEVER enough? (And like I said, this is not about only food and eating).

Well….heck…..

…..if I may be so bold to say: fear.

I think something, I am frightened, I believe it is true, I react.

There is no other possibility when I think what I believe is the truth.

But what if there was another way?

Another option?

“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind–you are the one who hears it.” ~ Michael Singer

Answer this question. Use your imagination for good (not to terrify yourself).

Who would you be without believing your fearful thoughts?

Who would you be if you captured what you were thinking before you overate, or bought something you don’t even really care about, or broke up with your partner, or got together with your old boyfriend, or drank wine, or smoked a cigarette, or started worrying?

Who would you be without your thoughts about life, other people, success, God, you, money, other people….or other people?

(Notice how I have other people in there a few times? I did that on purpose).

Get yourself in a place where you can take the time to question what you think.

It helps to get facilitated. It helps to have a mentor, or a guide, or a teacher.

Who would you actually be, what would you DO, how would you behave, if you knew you could somehow be with fear without DOING something about it (like eat) or believing it to be 100% true?

Question your thinking, change your life.

That’s not a small thing.

It’s huge.

If you notice you have difficult thoughts about food (and you don’t have to have an eating disorder, or be overweight, or obsess about diets all the time) then come to Eating Peace.

Mental health counselors earn 32 CEUs. Yes, that isn’t a typo. We stick together and stay engaged for many hours each day for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Even if we *think* it’s a big fat bummer and we need alone time and we have to go eat something ASAP or die.

You get to see if it’s really true.

Join me in this work I love.

Whether Eating Peace or another retreat–they’re all about the mind and feelings.

Question your thinking, and watch how you act and behave in the world simply change.

Without the violence of trying.

Much Love,

Grace

P.S. One person cancelled yesterday, and one person signed up, so there’s ONE spot open in the 3 day weekend for ANYONE starting this Friday in simple Self-Inquiry and The Work of Byron Katie. Dive into what scares, angers or saddens you the most about your life….and find freedom. Reply to this email if you want to join us in Seattle.

Eating Peace: When You’re Craving and Nervous About Darkness, Do This

I am sooooooo happy to be back home after traveling for three weeks.

I missed sharing with you all and creating videos, but today I was inspired to consider “home”.

The feeling of being home used to be completely foreign to me when it came to food and eating.

You might have felt this, too.

But there’s a way to pause (and it may require less effort than you ever thought) and picture what’s light about the moment, rather than dark, scary or sad.

Watch here to see what I mean, and leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Lots of peace,

Grace

P.S. Eating Peace is coming! A three day immersion in freedom from eating wars. October 9-11, 2015 north Seattle or November 13-15 near San Francisco. We begin Friday morning at 9:00 am. $347. Register HERE. If you need accommodation, there are 3 bedrooms in our retreat lodge.

 

Eating Peace: I Hate To Say It….But Peaceful Food Choices Can Help

Because I began my study of eating with diet, nutrition, obsessive calorie counting…..
….all in an underlying fit of wanting to “control” myself and get thin….
….I often hesitate to discuss actual diets, types of foods, or food plans with people.
But food does affect brain chemistry, your body, your physical comfort, and your peace.
I notice how great I feel not eating lots of sugar, and eating lots of veggies and fruits.
I used to hate that advice, because my mind went to all-or-nothing and I felt so starved for love and the delight of eating. I wanted to eat things that tasted good, and I thought I wasn’t allowed to (which made me rebellious).
Today, however, even if you have all that rebellious internal dialogue going on, you might want to give yourself peace by eating foods that can calm you down, instead of rev you up.
There’s a place in eating peace for choosing foods that make it physically easier to relax.

Much love,

Grace

Eating Peace: You May Have To Make This Decision

I’ve gotten emails lately from people who are discouraged and saying “this isn’t working, I just binged again” or “I’m not staying on track” or “can I just work on my eating troubles…later?”
I get a little serious with you today in my video.
Because if your Voice talks at you and doesn’t care if you fail, or says things like “you’re a loser” or “you’ll never get this” or “keeping a journal of my eating and feelings doesn’t work”  or “fuck it, just eat”….
….then this way of deep recovery and peace may not be for you.
If you want to keep feeding the self-hate Voice, the terrified Voice, the mean Voice….then find a special diet program or join a gym.
Nothing wrong with doing either of those.
In fact, I encourage people to do these things when its done in self-love and self-respect (I go to the gym almost every day in fact, I love my gym).
But this awareness approach….the one called Self Love….a voice of compassion, gentleness and peace….
….that’s the only way I ever found permanent care for myself, and the end of eating craziness.
The. Only. Way.
You get to choose.
Lots of peace,
Grace

Eating Peace: Help! How Can I Stop Craving?

Many people write to me and ask….
….but how can I STOP craving?
How can I stop the surge, the wave of busy, anxious, fast-paced feelings that lead to eating?
First of all….you can.
Second of all….stop trying to stop.
I know its a weird paradox. But what you resist, persists.
Watch here to contemplate a way to work with craving.

Much peace to you,

Grace

Eating Peace: A Strange Thing To Do In Your Kitchen

Everyone’s heard of meditation, and that it’s supposed to be good for you….like vegetables.

Right?

But we’ll wait, or forget, or say “not enough time” or “too much work” or “I need a meditation room”.

What if you just stopped today, and got quiet and still right in the place you may have had the most restless energy in your life.

Your kitchen.

Pull up a chair next to the refrigerator. Or the stove.

You don’t have to close your eyes, or do anything special. In fact, this is about Not Doing Something (like eating) for once, just to see what that’s like.

Why not?

Let me know what happens.

Eating Peace: One Question You Can Ask Yourself….Just One

In the middle of the Eating Peace Online Course (which is underway right now) people almost always reach a moment after the initial period of hopefulness….

….the reality that they are right here, with themselves, and no one can really come in and fix their eating issues for them.

I mean, you can’t hire a bodyguard or a personal assistant, or me, to walk around with you 24/7.

You’ll run up into a moment again where you want to eat, where you’re overcome with the urge and craving to stuff your face, or start graze-eating at night, or simply keep eating when you are not hungry….or you’ll decide to starve yourself and skip eating altogether.

I don’t care if you have huge binge-eating episodes and your disordered eating or starving is extreme (that was me) or if you battle over nighttime snacking….

….the shadows will come to the surface and you’ll have to be with them.

Here’s something you can do that’s very very simple (but not so easy, I know) if you get super confused, hopeless, whiney or feel like a gigantic victim.

Watch here to see the question I ask. See if you can answer honestly.

You may be surprised.

Lots of peace,
Grace
P.S. Notice this is coming out Thursday, instead of Wednesday? For those of you who did….Technology broke down yesterday. All fixed now!

Eating Peace: A Crazy Tool You Have Within You But You May Not Know It

Are you someone who doesn’t really go for the woo-woo solutions to real life problems?

Well…this tool for changing your relationship with eating can sound a little cray-cray.

But believe me, I’m not that crazy (only crazy in a good way).

This tool is genuine, powerful, and used by many cultures, religions, therapeutic modalities and processes of emotional healing for centuries.

It’s in you already, you just may need to develop it a little, spending a little more time using your imagination for love, not hate (primarily for yourself).

See how I did it here. Leave a comment to let me know how this tool works for you–I love hearing from you and reading your comments.

Love, Grace

Eating Peace: One Key Hidden Mistaken Belief That Feeds Compulsion

There is one really powerful, deep, intense and VERY stressful belief system that often remains hidden when it comes to food and eating….

….or any compulsive behavior.

But it’s a biggie for those who eat compulsively or secretly.

It’s called Attack of The Self.

Watch here and find out how I handle it, and work with this system of thinking the self is wrong, bad, missing something, or stupid to have this problem called overeating, or binge-eating, or compulsive self-starvation.

I’d love to hear your comments.

Much love, and lots of peace,

Grace

 

Eating Peace: What Do You Really Really Want? (If You’re Not Hungry)

Although there may be many complex feelings, memories and emotions occurring in the moment you want to eat (when you aren’t hungry) or starve yourself (when you ARE hungry but you’re afraid of eating)…..

…..one area of imbalance is letting yourself know what you REALLY, REALLY want!

If it’s not food, what do you do now?

What is this life, anyway?

How are you moved to operate?

The key, I have found, is tapping into what you want….whether its love, success, connection, honesty, intimate contact with others, creativity, relaxation, rest, sleep, fun, humor, abundance, safety, satisfaction.

What do you need, really, if it isn’t food?

What if you could move towards that….wouldn’t this feel more exciting, more fun and more joyful?

You’d know you were on your way.

Watch today’s Eating Peace video and let me know what you discover:

Lots of peace,

Grace