Your Body's Healthy Response to Restriction

We oftentimes want to believe there is one single way to eat, with "clean eating" being glorified. The reality is, we lose much of our internal attunement when we move towards one single label of eating.

Many of us end up acting from a place of fear and vilification which leads to a really detrimental cycle of shame. This cycle is where we can feel out of control around food, or buy into the idea that food is addictive. In the end, we can only see from our own lens, our own experiences.

I had a conversation with a client where we talked about her internal dialogue during a non-hungry "snack time". She mentioned how she had hypothetical ear muffs on while eating, telling herself it was ok, that she was safe, reminding herself that in her situation, there were no negative consequences. She then spoke of her mean girl dialogue berating herself later, mentally punishing herself for her choices. I asked her which voice sounded like a voice of reason, like a calm best friend.

She looked at me, put her head down and just slowly nodded..because for many of us we are taught shame. We are taught not to trust ourselves, we are taught to berate the compassionate softer side when in reality that moment of earmuffs is the moment of empowerment because shame can't live where compassion sits first.

It's just the same when it comes to periods of "perfect eating". What in life functions without ebbs and flows? Without dimension? Allowing flexibility, attunement, curiosity, mess-ups, learning, that's where we can acquire a dynamic healthy relationship. It's not in the rigid and controlled while you're still a living breathing organism.

It's all about perception, chipping away at the stories we've always told ourselves.

-Kaitlin Bolt-Lovett