The Conscious Cleanse has a term called Soul Food where again how we are living our life can nourish us in a way that food can't and that often times when our soul is not being fed adequately that is when food can be used inappropriately.
This weekend my primary nourishment or soul food has been filled to the brim. My mother came to visit. I never wanted to move to the west coast and be so far away from most of my family, and especially her, but that was where my life was calling me. So I only get to see her about twice a year, which we talked about this weekend how this needs to change because it is just too little.
I am literally fed by her presence, her laughter, our chats, our hugs, that food becomes secondary. I eat when I am hungry and I stop when I am full. Suddenly, when I am truly present and being nourished by my life and those around me, food has less power. It becomes something that is needed to keep me going and keep my focus on getting back to feeling satiated by my life.
Sometimes this is a concept I forget when things get super busy. I can often lean on meal times as a crutch to feel some calm in a busy day. So this weekend was a nice reminder that when the stress levels rise and things get hectic and busy, this is the time I need to reach out to my friends and family even more to talk, to laugh, to take walks, to decompress. When we are filled up, satiated, nourished by our surroundings we feed ourselves the things that feel good and give us energy.
So the next time you find yourself reaching again for a food that leaves you tired or drained or bloated or guilty try asking yourself what else could fill you up in that moment that has nothing to do with food. Perhaps you need to take a bath, or call a friend, or put on music and dance wild around your apartment or house. Create a list of these things and put them up on your fridge so that every time you go to reach for food you get the reminder to ask yourself what is it that you are truly craving/needing/desiring in that moment. Are you truly hungry or are you grazing? Do you need physical nourishment from food or are you looking to fill some emotional hunger?
No matter what you decide to do, this is all just information to use to empower you to make the best decisions for yourself. And your primary nourishment or soul food list on your fridge can serve as another tool in which to remind yourself to connect back with you.