“That’s the beautiful thing about story. It’s not rigid. It is constantly evolving. It’s dynamic. Maybe it’s time for a new chapter if it’s not working, or it’s time to make a few little edits to your story … because it’s not set in stone.”
Elise Museles
Our “life story” is often more talked about in various settings and can be part of both social gatherings, work life, school and every day life. Especially the chapters that are exciting, funny, interesting and just a joy to share. We can also pick and choose which chapters we share from and they tend to get edited a little bit with a new, funny twist or reflections, pending the audience. Also, as we live our lives the story is evolving and new chapters arrive daily. And those chapters affect our lives as well as the life of others.
However, the chapters that might contain more personal ingredients, serious ingredients, vulnerable ingredients and maybe even painful ingredients, those chapters we often keep to ourselves or share with just the few people that we consider safe. At least until we have processed and dealt with these chapters ourselves, or with the help of qualified helpers. Which by the way, is very important.
Similarly, our “food story” can be looked at as something that is evolving and that we can look back at, observe and not judge. And that we right now, and going forward can choose how we live and write, starting with today. Those next chapters that also will contain an evolving story as we relearn, adopt and practice our new lifestyle.
“Your relationship with food isn’t just about you and what’s on your plate. There are so many other things that come into play. It’s your culture, what your parents said to you, what you absorb from the media, both good and bad memories about food. All of it comes together to form a story.”
Elise Museles
How you look at yourself and your food story can be a very important of change, development and your health as well as overall happiness. What you eat, how you eat and why you eat the way you do, can be very personal and described for each person in a very specific manner.
And may contain several chapters, or even complete books about everything you have tested out connected to food as a way of not only making sure your body get energy, but how your body and mind use this energy to process both the food and the feelings of happiness, joy, love, anger, grief, fear, guilt, shame and so much more…
All this that we tend to name “comfort” or “discomfort”, yet it has to do with our thoughts and feelings. And thoughts and feelings just are…
Stressful thoughts creates stressful feelings, and those feelings might trigger the need to eat even though you may not actually be hungry… Maybe you are just happy… Or sad? And need someone to share your experience with?
Understanding ourselves and how we feed our mind, body and soul based upon our beliefs, upbringing, experiences, culture and so much more… matters. It affects how we live our lives and it affects the people around us, as well.
Unless you acknowledge your inner pain and the connection it may have to food as a “fix” you may not truly acknowledge your inner joy, love and potential, either. This means that you may have to go to either the “comfort place” and the “discomfort place”, but you may not have to stay stuck in neither.
How do you start to write the next chapter in your food story?
Start where you are at, right now. Examine your daily routines and be honest with yourself without judging. Just observing and noting down your habits might be a huge eye opener.
What limits your belief about yourself and your body, might be another one?
Where this all comes from growing up the way you did, and again not looking for blame or guilt, but rather just observing your life as a child might be a great approach.
Do you have to go through deprivation in order to loose weight?
Often we believe we have to say “No” to the food we love! And “Yes” to what we don“’t care for. And this affects our motivation. However, this might not be a fact, because you may choose differently when you discover why you think, believe, feel and act the way you do.
Actually this may not have to do with food at all. Rather we may have to deal with our belief and what may have happened to us, that created it at some point in our life!?
Exercise letting go of any guilt, shame and blame, and feelings of not being worthy.
May Britt LIan
Allow yourself to admit that you will make mistakes as we all do make them. Making a mistake does not make you wrong or less worthy, it makes you human and lovable. Even the perfectionist makes them and leaving the image of the “perfect” might be an important step in itself…
This blog was inspired by Elise Museles and I hope I was able to get your attention, trigger your curiosity and ability to take action, or seek new information, understandig or help. Feel free to contact me with any questions as I’m here to help!
Warmly, May Britt