“All Things in Moderation” is a SHOULD that may be keeping you stuck.
Hey, Coffey –
Before I started working with you, I was one step away from admitting to myself that I have a problem with certain foods – specifically wheat and sugar.
‘Til now, I had minimal boundaries – I strove for moderation, which worked temporarily, if at all. Now I see the fallacy in the “all things in moderation” argument, but the hesitancy is still there. I know I feel a billion times better when MBs [ref]MBs = Monkey Brains. When I work with groups, I use this term as an umbrella for “foods we don’t relate to in a healthy way” because everyone is different and there’s are no inherently “wrong” foods. Calling IT, whatever IT is, “Monkey Brains” gives people the freedom to make their own choices about what does and doesn’t make them feel like shit. And, yes, it’s an Indiana Jones reference.[/ref] aren’t in my life, but the jealousy/entitlement feelings from the sabotage lesson[ref]If you don’t have a long history of sabotaging yourself when you try to get healthier, don’t take my course. And if you sign up by accident, skip the stuff on self-sabotage.[/ref] bubble up, and I think that “just a little” won’t be too bad. And honestly, sometimes I can do just a little. But most of the time I can’t, and when I do eat that stuff I always end up not feeling my best. But when I do say no, I feel like superwoman. When I look at it that way. I know I need to ditch this stuff to feel good. Hesitating is working against everything I say I want – to be healthier, and to feel better in my body.
Why do I get so stuck on“but I SHOULD be able to eat that!!”? Why can’t I focus on all the ways I feel great when I’m eating only foods that I relate to in a healthy way?
Help a sister out,
Superwoman
Hiya, Superwoman –
That’s the trick – to give the good stuff the attention it deserves.
If you’re on stage looking out at a sea of smiling faces, the only one you can see clearly is the asshole scowling at you, right? Your jealousy/entitlement stuff is sort of like that. That thought “But I should be able to eat whatever I waaaant!” manages somehow to be louder and more noticeable than all the pleasure and relief and power people like us feel when we abstain from the foods that bring us pain.
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If you’re an addict[ref]If you think you are, you probably are. And if you think you’re not, YAHTZEE![/ref] ditching the Monkey Brains will have a positive impact on how you experience everything in every minute of every day. But even still, there’ll probably always be that one scowling prick in the third row, forever trying to get your attention, whining “every body else is doing it so I should toooooo!”
[tweetthis]’The only thing any of us SHOULD feel compelled to do is take good care of ourselves.'[/tweetthis]
Best advice I have this moment – do your best to ignore that guy. Don’t even look in his direction. Instead, meet every other face in the crowd with a big smile. These are the benefits of eating only foods we relate to in a healthy way. Oh hey, look – in the mezzanine! – it’s A Peaceful Mind! And there, in the balcony – Increased Energy in the Afternoon – man, is it good to see you! Work on noticing and appreciating each of these, every day. Enjoy the emotional freedom and the mental peace and the physical comfort and the sense of empowerment we get to roll around in when we’re free of craving and obsession. The only thing any of us SHOULD feel compelled to do is to take good care of ourselves. And when you hear that piece of shit in the third row clear his throat, turn to the rest of the crowd and toss out a genuine and heartfelt “Thank you. I’m so glad you’re here.”
[tweetthis]Respecting what’s true for us nurtures motivation. #fitness #healthyliving[/tweetthis]