This time of year can bring up a lot around food.
Emotional eating,
Cravings,
Endless temptations,
And that familiar feeling of,
I know I shouldn't eat this,
But I'm doing it anyway.
I get it.
I used to really struggle with that.
I was on my first diet when I was 14.
I tried every diet out there.
Weight watchers,
Magazine diets,
Eating half of everything,
Atkinson,
You name it.
I was swinging between controlling myself like crazy and eating without any control at all.
And neither one felt good.
The food itself wasn't my problem and it's not the problem for you either.
Food is simply the place you go when something inside feels too uncomfortable to face.
You don't do this consciously.
It's not because you're weak or lazy.
It's an old program that kicks in when something gets triggered.
So before anything else,
Don't judge yourself for it.
Take a deep breath and take the pressure off.
Beating yourself up doesn't help anyone.
When you feel that urge to reach for food,
There are usually deeper layers underneath and releasing those old patterns takes inner work.
It takes time.
But here's something simple you can try.
Before you eat something you know isn't good for you,
Give yourself 10 seconds.
Not to stop yourself,
Not to be good.
Pause to check in.
Check in and say to yourself,
I'm going to eat this,
But let me see what I'm actually feeling first.
For me,
The feeling underneath is often loneliness.
A younger part of me that goes back to an old pattern of trying to fill the hole I felt as a child.
When you acknowledge the truth,
Your body relaxes.
Not because you fixed anything,
But because you stopped fighting yourself and chose kindness instead.
That's what I want for you.
Compassion and kindness.
You wouldn't yell at a flower for not blooming fast enough,
Right?
So don't do that to yourself either.
You are doing the best you can with what's alive in you right now.
So be kind to yourself.
And if food is not your struggle,
This applies to many other addictive behaviors.
Whether you reach for food,
Sugar,
Or your phone,
Netflix,
Work,
Shopping,
Sex,
Or anything else,
You can use the same awareness to gently explore what's underneath and meet yourself with compassion instead of pressure.
So today's invitation,
Be kind,
Be loving,
Be aware.
Much love.
