“We can make moderation and satisfaction our norm rather than letting too much and too little tyrannizing our existence.”
Too Much, Not Enough, Just Right
Hello Beautiful,
I was recently in a conversation where an interesting point was made regarding the similarities between struggling with weight issues and struggling with finances. The similarities between strict budgets and strict diets….both of which trigger a feeling of scarcity…that prompt the individual to “rebel” against the program and over indulge/over spend because they feel they aren’t going to get what they think they want/need moving forward. The unintended consequence is that the very attempt to solve the problem, exacerbates the problem!
Part of these challenges with extra weight and living beyond our means is a desire to know we will be taken care of and have enough. These feelings of overindulgence and then of compensatory restriction can become a powerful repeating pattern. But they don’t have to be! Instead, we can commit to thoughtfully meeting our needs in a way that is appropriate, rather than an act of indulgence to stock up for the coming paucity of provisions (be they in food or purchasing power).
It seems many of us, subconsciously, don’t trust ourselves. We may have good reason to feel this way. Years of overeating and overspending give justification for feeling like we can’t be trusted to make good decisions about how much we should consume. Part of the solution is in educating ourselves in nutritional/financial planning and the other part is in understanding the emotional/spiritual/psychological roots of our under-performing relationship with meeting our needs.
When we upgrade our decision making grid to include self awareness and long term planning into our consumption, we are able to better create satisfaction. To be deeply satisfied is a rare thing. Our culture rewards the eternal search for the upgrade—from appliance to gadget to car. The target is always moving. And we all know deep down that the satisfaction on offer is fleeting at best.
When we alternate between too much and not enough, we aren’t listening well. For example, our body will tend to hold onto weight because it intuitively feels the needs it’s communicating are going to be overridden and ignored. On the other hand, if we are deeply connected to our body and our inner decision drivers, we can discern the true nature of what we are feeling, needing, and being drawn towards…and get clarity on the “why.” With practice, we can powerfully align our choices with our deepest values.
What’s in that word…”need?” Our decisions are best made when freed of the influences of ignorance, addiction, marketing, and social dynamics. Freedom is the ability to make choices that create well-being in our future, not just pacify our cravings in the moment. The ancient Spartans use to say “We will teach you the handiest of habits.” We can make moderation and satisfaction our norm rather than allowing too much and too little to tyrannize our existence. So let’s talk about getting you some of those handy habits!
In my course Creating a Healthy Relationship With Food, we examine our patterns around eating and how to reset them. And in my course Luxurious Simplicity, we take a look at how we can create healthy relationships with our belongings by streamlining and creating a great decision making grid for our purchases. Here’s an early holiday gift to you: 25% off on these two courses.
Wishing you a holiday season where you don’t eat or buy too little nor too much. I wish you a season where you don’t have to go on a diet in January to drop the weight you gained from overriding your nutritional balance and satiation cues. I wish you a season where you enjoy every bite and feel good about every purchase, knowing that they were appropriate and don’t require a restrictive counter action.
The deepest indulgence is to hit the bullseye of moderation and reap guilt free contentment!
Cheering You On,
Rachel