“Self reflective practices will help you understand your needs better. They will also support behaviors that address the actual issues.”
Key Points
- Self Awareness is Key
- Have Your Own Back
- Give Yourself What You Really Need
- Eating as Distraction From What You are Feeling
- Make Meals a Special Occasion to Enjoy
Nourish yourself with what you really need
tips for feeding yourself
body & soul
The upside of all this disruption to our patterns is that we can take a fresh look at our habits and see if they are really serving us. Let’s take initiative to create patterns to help us live with more presence and joy.
Self Awareness is Key
If you can check in with what you are feeling, you can better support yourself. If you don’t know what’s going on inside, you are likely to project onto others…to distract yourself instead of address issues…and to be frustrated instead of effective. Self reflective practices will help you understand your needs better. They will also support behaviors that address the actual issues. For example, when you feel hungry at an odd time, pause and ask yourself, “What do I really need…am I really hungry?” Wait for the answer before you act.
Have Your Own Back
Don’t put off what you need. If you need to go to the bathroom, don’t wait more than a few minutes. If you are thirsty, get some water. If you are sleepy, its better to take a 15 minute nap and then do 45 min of effective work rather than to be drowsy at the computer for an hour. Take care of you. No one knows what you need better than you. It’s your job to be the CNO (Chief Nurturing Officer) of yourself so you can show up as the Real You!
Give Yourself What You Really Need
When your energy is low you might be tempted to eat for energy….but what you really need is a nap or a walk in the sunshine. Check in and see what you really need. And don’t be afraid to give that to yourself – putting your needs at the bottom of the list is a habit you are finally done with.
Eating as a Distraction From What You are Feeling
When its tough to handle the emotions swimming around inside yourself, you might be tempted to eat as a temporary distraction. Remember, food is for satisfying hunger, not handling stress. Eat well and use other methods to manage emotions like physical movement, conversing with a loved one, journaling, or meditating.
Make Meals a Special Occasion to Enjoy
Sit down at the table, with a nice place setting, fresh nourishing food you plated well, and the time to eat slowly and enjoy your food. If you eat while distracted you won’t enjoy the food and typically over consume by 10-15% compared to undistracted eating. That extra food can add 30 lbs a year! Eat what you need but not more than you need.
Good News!
I have just released a new audio course called How to Develop a Healthy and Sustainable Relationship with Food and it is a bounty of resources. If you are ready to remodel your relationship with food and enhance your patterns of self care, I hope you’ll check it out HERE. We have low cost and no cost options available. We don’t want money to get in the way of helping you nourish yourself .
I’m sending love and support to everyone as we navigate these waters. It’s a chance to grow into a clearer, kinder human right now. Seize this opportunity to create new habits that better serve you.
Love and Light,
Rachel