It’s Not Always About The Food

Across the board, my clients want to lose weight and eat better. However, most of my clients are stressed out souls who are stuck in a cycle of fatigue and overwhelm. Can you see where this might be problematic?

My client – we’ll call her Olivia – wanted to eat better and lose those unwanted pounds. As a former lawyer and mom to a toddler son, she was choking on a daily hairball of not getting enough done and a continuous flow of mommy guilt for not doing enough. In her first session, I asked, “what would it look like if you were able to have more time for yourself?” She began to cry. She was so exhausted and riddled with guilt about taking the self-care time she knew was a must that the mere question triggered a release of emotions.

When you’re in this place, it’s not about the food! It’s about your daily routine of thoughts and actions that keep you trapped in struggle. In order to begin to figure it out, you have to make space for things to happen. So we started with making time for what she enjoyed – walks in the park, reading, alone time just lying in bed. These small steps lessened Olivia’s anxiety and provided some mental space for forward thinking.

In our busy world, with its emphasis on work and responsibility, to be healthy and harmonious we must work on more than just our bodies; we must feed our hearts, minds and spirits. Have you noticed that when you are engaged in a creative project or happy relationship, your reliance on food seems to decrease? Likewise, when you are unsatisfied with your relationships, your job or other areas of your life, you may depend on food to cheer, soothe or numb you. When your life is out of balance, no amount of food can feed you where you truly need nourishment. The food that we eat is very important for health and balance, but what really feeds us-a full and fulfilling life-doesn’t come on a plate.

So what can you do to live a more full and fulfilling life?

  • Identify what is fun for you. Make time for it this week.
  • Even if you don’t have much free time for fun, try approaching a “serious” activity with an attitude of play. This can greatly reduce stress and anxiety and bring more pleasure to your day.
  • Look at what is on your calendar and see if you can inject a little fun in whatever it is that you have to do this week.
  • Identify what activities really sap your energy and if possible, stop doing them. Can they be delegated to someone else? Can it be modified to make it more fun or at least more palatable?

Take your focus off food, try adding more fun into your life and watch the magic unfold.  As always, I’m cheering you on.

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