 |
|
Petrene Soames
|
For many of us, not being happy or satisfied our body or even disliking
it is a major block to happiness and awareness. Women especially spend
a lot of time wishing their body was different in one way or another.
We have not only bought into accepted concepts of what is perfect,
beautiful and ideal for body shape, we also police ourselves constantly
with thoughts and beliefs such as "my stomach is too big",
"my thighs are too fat", "my butt sags", and so
on. We each have parts of us we wish were different. It can be a
simple wish for change right up to an obsessive, beating up of ourselves,
feeling that we will never be lovable or attractive enough, and that
life will never be great until we loose those unwanted pounds. All
of this adds up to very destructive behaviors and thought patterns
that often seem hard to break.
How we act and react
It's important to say that being overweight or out of shape is
not only about what we eat. It's about our emotional state of being,
how we deal with stress, how fast we process and clear life experiences.
It's about how our life is going and how we are dealing and relating
to it, both now and in the past. If you are overweight or out of
shape, simply ask yourself what are you holding on to, what are
the things you feel stuck on? Comfort eating can be simple and relatively
harmless, like a small sweet snack to give you a lift when things
aren't going right. It might also get to serious overeating just
to feel safe and blanket distressing emotions such as anger, fear,
pain, despair and loneliness. The more we get angry with ourselves
for doing this, the more stuck and out of control we feel. It can
seem like a never-ending circle.
What we can do
Be honest with yourself. How much are you really in your body?
How often do you feel zoned out and on automatic? Define the triggers,
the situations, people, simple events and emotions that keep you
out of your body and out of touch with yourself. They might be old
pains, hurts and fears that you have never resolved or found closure
on, unfulfilled needs in the present and from the past, lack of
love from others and from yourself for yourself, insecurities.
Follow these ten tips to get back into your body, into great health
and shape and get real with yourself and your life:
- Include plenty of room temperature water in your diet every
day. Quit drinking fizzy, sugary drinks, even the diet variety.
Cut back on alcohol.
- Become aware of what you do eat and how much each day by keeping
a list for a week. Later re-think your diet. Eat simple basic
foods. Include more fruits, vegetables, brown bread, grains, non-sugary
cereals. Consider becoming vegetarian.
- Make time every day for yourself. Even ten minutes is vital.
You need to let go, sit still, relax, and do nothing. Let your
thoughts come and go. Breathe deeply from the bottom of your
stomach. Say firmly in your mind: "I am letting go of everything
I no longer need". Mean it!
- Rub your stomach slowly backwards and forwards, then round and
round with slow circular movements of your hand. Breathe deeply.
This will calm and soothe you when you are tired, anxious, or
stressed, and replace the need of reaching for the ice cream and
cookie jar.
- Look at yourself in the mirror. Simply look. Do not judge. If
you find yourself doing so, stop. Simply look, accept what you
see and look for the beauty beyond any pain in your face and your
eyes.
- Love yourself completely without condition. Use positive affirmations
each day. Be open to realizing how wonderful, amazing and special
you really already are. Don't wait for tomorrow to be perfect.
Love and accept yourself just as you are today and every day.
Realize that you do know what you are doing at all times and that
there are no mistakes.
- Bring color into your life. Wear it. Bring it into your home
or workplace. Or imagine being surrounded by color and breathe
it all through your body until you are full.
- Ask yourself at least once a day: "Where am I right now?"
You may be driving to work and yet still in events in previous
days or well into the future in anticipated events. Become aware
of where you are and how you are more often. Make a point of also
recognizing who you are being. Are you playing a role or are you
simply being yourself?
- Dream. Visualize how you want your life to be one year from
now, 5 years, 10 years. Expect the best. See the positives in
all negatives for they are there waiting for you to discover.
Remember, nothing is ever only as it seems.
- Lighten up. Have fun. Stop feeling responsible. Break patterns.
Be spontaneous. Explore other facets of yourself. Throw away,
give away or even sell everything you no longer need.
Petrene Soames is a recognized leader in the self-healing movement.
She is the author of The Essence of Self-Healing: How to bring
health and happiness into your life, coming out this month from
FleetStreet Publications. Visit her web site at http://petrene.com to read more about self-healing,
and awareness, and enjoy her free interactive Color and Focus rooms,
or call 281-363-9983.
|
