Life is one big adventure
Controlling Emotional Eating through Mindfulness
One thing that we all have in common here on Earth is that we eat. We literally need food to survive. In fact, for the majority of us, our days are planned around food. Food brings us together, socially, romantically, even spiritually. Food unites our families and strengthens friendships. Business deals are often made over lunches and dinners. Milestones, holidays, and birthdays are (normally) celebrated with food. With food comes great joy. Food can heal the body, reverse signs of aging, improve digestion, and lower cholesterol. We can reach optimal health through food. However, this is a two way street. If food is misused (and I am speaking behalf of the people that have the privilege to buy food and frequent restaurants), or we reach towards large quantities of food with little nutritional value, food can become a drug — a drug that has massive, often negative, control over our lives.
Let me explain.
In western society, people are running on stress. Fear of the future, stress from work, pressure to take care of the family, health issues, financial worries, trying to live in this “new normal”, the list goes on. We thrive off of being busy and tend to find familiarity in stress. Negative feelings become a void, leaving us with a sensation of “emptiness” or “not being in control”. In effort to reverse these feelings, escape from the pain, or gain control, we reach for food. I, myself, have spent time in this not-so-fun place.
Emotional eating is when we use food, usually junk food in unhealthy amounts, in response to our emotional needs. About 75% of overeating is caused by our emotions.
Signs of Emotional Eating:
Eating more when you feel stressed
Eating when you’re not hungry or already full
Eating to soothe yourselves
Rewarding yourself with food
Eating until you’re stuffed
Eating to feel safe
Feeling powerless or out of control around food
Please know you’re not alone, and almost everyone has experienced emotional eating at some point in their lives. But also know that suppressed emotions cannot be filled with food — or the debilitating, consuming cycle of guilt, shame, and self-hatred that washes over after a binge will continue.
Emotional eating can show up in many forms. As humans we are all unique, and therefore express our feelings in different ways. EE can show up from sadness, anger, loss, social anxiety, trauma, money fears, lack of self-worth, body shaming, and/or trying to take “control” of our lives (to name a few). When I used food to cope in the past, I was mentally not in a healthy place. These sensations surfaced after a tough job when I was 23, which left me feeling anxious, “powerless”, and on-edge. Over the years, I had to re-learn how to have a healthy relationship with myself — mind, body, and soul. Not thinking I would ever fully heal, I started to notice results when I began using mindfulness practices and techniques to improve my life. I realized it was not about the food. It boiled down to my lack of control I had over my own emotional well-being. I can now thankfully say I have fully healed.
In order to change the patterns and kick emotional eating to the curb, I listed 10 Steps to help you on your own inner healing journey.
Recognize the difference between Emotional Hunger and Physical Hunger. Sometimes this difference can be tricky, but here are a few tips. EH comes on suddenly, while PH is more gradual. EH craves specific unhealthy foods for an instant rush. EH also leads to mindless eating - eating a whole pint of ice cream or an entire bag of chips. EH is not satisfied when full, and leads to feelings of guilt after eating.
Identify emotional triggers. Stress, “stuffing down” emotions, boredom, feeling of emptiness or unworthiness, social influences, depression, etc.
Journaling to log when you are feeling the urge to reach for the box of cookies, and look at the thought pattern that is triggering the binge eating emotion.
Call a trusted friend or family member when the urge arises.
Make emergency packs — proportion healthy snacks into a small bag or container.
Inner child healing — most of the time our eating habits relate back to a trauma or situation as a young kid or teen.
Ten deep breaths, slowly.
Yoga and/or Meditation, first thing in the morning. Research shows that Yoga helps reduce unhealthy emotional eating. Through Yoga and Meditation, you align the mind, body, soul, training the mind to focus and be more present. The higher part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) becomes more engaged, decreasing impulsive decisions made by the lower part of the brain.
Mantras and the power of ‘I AM’ - I recommend the book “You Can Heal Your Life” by, Louise Hay.
No More Body-Shaming — making it a point to stop reading magazines, scrolling social media accounts, and/or following people that promote unhealthy body images or unrealistic expectations on how to “look”.
Do you struggle with Emotional Eating? Feel free to reach out, or schedule a Free 20 Min Wellness Call with Nat. Please know you’re not alone. You CAN and WILL heal.
THE POWER OF CHANGE
For many (or most) of us, the word “change” can be scary and/or uncomfortable. It is a word and a concept that can mistakenly take us by surprise and cause a shift in our daily routine. As I sit at a cafe in Ubud, Bali, looking back on the past year, it is undoubtedly crazy how much change I went through. In May 2017 I put in my leave of absence at my corporate job, preparing my move to Chile in June, and not having the slightest clue as to what to expect. My move to Chile brought immense amounts of change, in some ways more difficult than others. It brought about the obvious, like language, culture, and living situation changes. But along with those came others I did not expect - changes with my way of thinking, my beliefs, what I really want out of life. Not to mention huge changes spiritually - not just within my self but also in my career. Continuing forward, my move to Chile led to my one month stay in Bali, an enormous change that basically happened overnight, and would not have been possible without my South America venture.
So how do we deal with these changes when they arise? How to we break out of fear mode to allow the changes to come into fruition? From someone who likes to control things, we must trust. Divine timing is always perfect. When we are presented with a challenging change or perhaps an “out of the blue” seemingly positive change, we must feel what we are going through and use it for personal development to further better our lives. Change is the catalyst to growth, which is the catalyst to positive transformation, which pushes us to living our highest potential. We must know the dark to experience the light. We must believe as we delve into new concepts and ways of living. Once we accept change, our growth accelerates. Moving forward, if change is extra scary for you, start small. Watch how the little day to day changes you make greatly affects your life. From there, trust builds and even greater miracles will occur. <3
Allow. Trust. Feel. Know. Believe. Accept
-The Now With Nat
5 GROUNDING TECHNIQUES
My Top 5 Techniques To Stay Grounded...
We are awakening this very moment to a global transformation. Intense energy is coming through at lightning speed, through solar activations, lunar cycles and shifts in consciousness (to name a few). It is important during this time to protect ourselves and to stay grounded as our DNA is re-wiring and re-activating, dissolving old timelines and programmed thoughts that have been embedded in our soul since the beginning of time. As the energy shifts, we can feel less balanced, lethargic, experience head aches, and just feel “off”.
The new year energy started off STRONG (leaving many of us feeling confused and a bit sad) as we dropped old habits, people, situations, and thoughts that no longer serve us. Below are my top five ways to remain grounded during these intense, yet transformative, times of change. <3
1. SPEND TIME IN NATURE
Spending time in nature + simply connecting to the Earth rejuvenates the mind, body, and soul. Take time by the beach, go on a hike, or simply dig your bare feet into the ground. A mere 20 minutes can do wonders, leaving you with a new sense of clarity and peace.
2. YOGA + MEDITATION
Through yoga, one not only receives a great physical work out, but obtains a healthier mind as well. Yoga and meditation teaches us the act of breath work as we train our minds to become still by sitting in silence and/or hold challenging poses. The practice of yoga also creates balance and detoxification within our bodies and organs. Old emotions and dense vibrations are released, creating more space for light energy.
3. JOURNALING
Journaling is one of my favorite techniques to release old thought patterns and to gain insight about a specific situation or obstacle I might be facing. Journaling gets our creative juices flowing as we let our emotions pour out on paper. I find this technique freeing. Sometimes a single thought turns into a few pages worth of expression and releasing. If you are a first timer, I guarantee you will be surprised how much information reveals itself on paper.
4. SEA SALT BATH
Sea salt baths purify you on a spiritual level. The salt draws out and dissolves negative energies that are held within our bodies — from our own thoughts and experiences, or through interactions with other people. When we surround ourselves with others who might feel anxious or stressed, we can naturally take on these energies as if our own. Salt not only grounds you, but clears your aura as well — leaving you feeling lighter and more balanced.
5. CREATIVITY
What drives your soul? Do you like to paint? Draw? Play an instrument? Plan an event? Think of something that you LOVE (or miss) doing. If this seems impossible, what small step can you take to get closer to feeling creative? As we embrace our passions and acknowledge our creativity, (without judgement), our vibrations rise, creating a balance between mind, body, and spirit.
"With greater understanding comes greater knowing. With greater knowing comes greater self realization. With greater self realization comes greater wisdom. With greater wisdom comes greater truth. With greater truth comes comes greater self expansion. With greater self expansion comes greater knowledge that we are everything, yet nothing."
- The Now With Nat
