Diet culture teaches us to continually be on a journey of self-improvement, assisting us in feeling dissatisfied with our bodies and therefore ourselves. Even if you don't believe in dieting, you will find that diet culture has had an influence on how you see yourself and the world around you. It is in the very air that we breathe because it has become the norm in our society. Our conditioning leads us to believe that 'thinness' is equated to being healthy when this is such a far cry from reality; being in a thin body does not automatically equate to health, vitality or mental well-being.
The way you see food and relate to food and your body has, no doubt, been influenced by toxic diet culture and this an area which needs conscious attention in order to unlearn unhelpful habits, thought patterns and toxic behaviors.
We are not only influenced by diet culture but we are also largely influenced by the way we have been brought up and what has been modelled to us. This refers to the influence of our parents, the media, popular culture, other family members, teachers, extra mural groups, clubs, schools and societies. All of these avenues of conditioning would have had an impact on how you perceive your body. The way you have learnt to perceive your body has a direct and indirect impact on how you relate to food. I like to call this the 'mind-body-food' connection.
So how would you describe your relationship with food? Does eating feel like an area of stress in your life? Do you feel anxious about what to eat and when, in order to feel good in your body?
I want to share with you a bit of my own personal journey with this. Much of my headspace used to be occupied with food, eating and how I felt about my body. My thoughts were consumed by the amount of calories I would put on my plate; new meal plans, exercise routines and all the 'forbidden' foods I longed to enjoy. I would try my best to stay on track with my plans and would feel such guilt if I fell off the wagon and 'cheated'. I felt shame around how my body looked but mostly I felt disappointed that I didn't enjoy being in my body. I longed to feel different and embrace my body, who ,deep down, I knew deserved more compassion, love and nurture.
I tried so many different eating plans, diets and even intermittent fasting but I would always end up binging on the foods I wasn't allowed. I felt ashamed that I had no self-discipline and that I couldn't follow through with what I had committed to for myself. I felt like I couldn't trust myself or my body; that I needed someone else to tell me what to eat and when rather than trusting my own intuition. The problem was that what I was doing was totally restrictive, unhealthy and unsustainable. Not to mention that there was such an emotional component to the way I related to food. On the outside others thought I was 'healthy' and 'slim' but I knew that I had so many insecurities that I was hiding as well as unhealthy eating habits that others had no idea about.
I was never diagnosed with an 'eating disorder' and I don't believe I had one but I did certainly have disordered thoughts and behaviors around food and my relationship with food and my body was in need of deep nourishment, nurture and healing. I felt so disconnected from myself and my body and I longed for a meaningful connection, where I could just be myself and relax.
The more experience I gained as a Counselor, the more I realized that I was not alone in the way that I felt and that like me, so many others struggle with their relationship with both food and their body. There are so many people who never get diagnosed with an eating disorder and so they fly under the radar and lose out on gaining support with this area. Don't wait until you have a full blown eating disorder before you decide to do something about your unhealthy relationship with food! You deserve to feel comfortable in your own skin, to live freely and to enjoy food.
Your relationship with food is one of the most foundational relationships in your life and if you can begin to heal that relationship your whole life will change, for the better. I am a personal testament to this and I can share with you that I am absolutely no longer consumed by thoughts of food or my body and I have managed to find a healthy relationship that feels easy and relaxed. This doesn't mean I don't have hard days or that I don't get triggered sometimes but I have my tools to lean back on and I know how to manage and navigate things when it feels hard. I so badly want this for you too!
Do you want to become aware of your own unhealthy thoughts, habits and behaviors? Do you want to know more about how I healed my relationship with food? Do you want support in healing this fundamental relationship so that you can connect more deeply to yourself and your intuition? Do you want to find freedom from food and obsessive thoughts?
I want you to know that it's not your fault that you if you have an unhealthy relationship with food or your body; it's your conditioning. However, it is your responsibility to make the necessary changes to find healing . You deserve to enjoy food and let it be a beautiful, creative expression of fulfillment in your life (or even just a means of fueling your body). Whatever you desire but I can tell you that it all starts with getting your mind healthy and that means rejecting the diet culture rules, norms and conditioning. This is not easy to do alone and can be easier within a like-minded community. I am slowly working towards building that community for you.
I will be writing more on this topic in the coming weeks and I am going to be releasing a self-healing Journal to help support you in healing your relationship with food and your body. For now, I've just released a FREE Ebook that you can download below, titled: '7 Mindset mistakes you're making on your weight loss journey'.
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