November 2009

 

 When ever I follow the rules and slow right down, I am amazed at how much more I see.

 

I notice the children playing in the school yard. I notice the maroon painted front door, I notice the beautiful blue sky and I notice the beauty around me. I become conscious of my surroundings and appreciate what is going on around me. 

 

This is definitely a different feeling from the racing tension I get when I spend my time thinking about what is next on my list or worrying about everything I need to do.

When we spend our time racing to get to where we need to get to next, focusing on the destination rather than the journey, it is amazing how much we miss along the way. 

How many of you have found yourself with an empty bag of potato chips, or some other food item, wondering how you could possibly have eaten ALL those chips, already? You don’t remember tasting them or even chewing them and all of a sudden they are gone. 

 

Then the self abuse sets in:

I know better than to eat potato chips!!

 

Wouldn’t it be great to find ways to combat emotional eating? I have noticed some common elements when I coach my clients with their emotional eating:

What is your relationship like with your body? Do you love it? Do you hate it? When you think of your body, do you think of the physical appearance or the entirety of what your body does for you?

 

In today’s society, when people talk about their body the conversation usually revolves around the physical attributes that make up their body i.e. skin, body type, hips, stomach, thighs, arms etc. When listening to the media or even conversations amongst people, there is often frustration about how the body looks as well as how it is letting us down.  

 

What can we do to be in a better relationship with our body? It is no different than if we wanted to build a better relationship with a friend – we need to spend time with it, acknowledge it, appreciate it and take care of it.