Day 105/366 days Towards Self-Mastery. Mood: feeling accomplished!
When was the last time you felt really hungry? It was some time ago that I asked myself that question and focussed some attention on my motivations as I reach for something to put into my mouth.
We definitely need nourishing, but are we really only swallowing our food? Quite often it is much more.
We're swallowing our disappointments, our concerns, our upsets, our worries, our anxieties, and we're getting on with the job at hand.
What we're really hungry for is fulfilment, contentment, peace, resolution.
Right now I'm noticing lots of people swallowing their fears and anxieties about the CV-19 thingy, and filling their time with all sorts of distractions to avoid meeting with the very concern that would bring them peace. My guess is that they are over-eating as well as they attempt to bring comfort in these difficult times.
If this is you, try bringing some awareness to the next time you reach for food. Often awareness is enough to point you in a new direction.
Take some time to bring your awareness to your food and your desire to eat.
Our eating patterns are often habitual, related to the time of day that meals should be, or something that we're trying to contain so that we don't have to deal with it.
Make eating a nourishing ritual, for your body and your soul.
Once I made the decision that I would become aware of my eating habits, I now noticed each time and consider the reason that I am preparing that meal or searching for that snack.
Often it is not because I'm hungry. To be honest, I'm okay with that. Sometimes I eat because I enjoy the food that's on offer, or because I know I'm feeing a little nervous about something and that chocolate would help.
I don't think we have to be regimented and 100% perfect with our intentions and subsequent eating patterns. What's important is that we are making a conscious choice. That means we can choose to eat or not, each time.
Our eating is no longer on auto-run.
It's the unconscious reaching for food without being aware of the motivating factors that is a trap and ends up with us gaining weight without realising it, and worse, not meeting with our real issues and resolving them in a healthy way.
You might like to begin by experimenting with allowing yourself to become really hungry, and thirsty. It's quite a revelation to discover how long you can go without food, and how unfamiliar you are with the feeling of hunger.
Let me know how you get on!
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.