Instead of a New Resolution ~ A New Perspective
Traditionally, this is the time of year for new resolutions. Usually made with determination and fresh hope, these resolutions are often wavering in February, and melting away with the last snow of March. Perhaps the goals were unrealistic, or the expectations hindered by perfectionism. Maybe “all or nothing” thinking made it easier to give up altogether.
This pattern of self-sabotage leads to disappointment, self-criticism, and often to a hopelessness of ever making positive and lasting changes. This pattern repeats itself annually, particularly around issues of diet and exercise, for millions of people. This year, rather than repeating the same pattern and expecting a different result, (Einstein called this “insanity”!), try a different perspective, instead.
This is exactly what Deborah Kesten, MPH has done. She worked as a nutrition expert with Dr. Dean Ornish on the pioneering work which demonstrated that lifestyle change could reverse heart disease. She believes that food nourishes not only our physical well-being, but our spiritual, emotional, and social well-being. That rather than analyze and obsess about it, treating it either as friend or foe, that we practice “enlightened eating” instead. There are six principals to practice:
1) Dine in a pleasant, supportive atmosphere and share food while connecting with others.
2) Dine with emotional awareness ~ be aware of feelings before, during, and after eating.
3) Practice mindful eating ~ breathe and chew slowly. Notice tastes, textures.
4) Be grateful ~ for the food and its life and health enhancing properties.
5) Prepare with love and connect with the Divine.
6) Choose fresh, whole foods for optimum health.
According to Kesten, these six elements are “a template . . . for how to eat and live consciously with a sense of wonder inherent in the alchemical union between human beings and food . . . resplendent with possibilities in how to nourish every aspect of our being each time we eat.”
Similar principals may be applied to exercise. Rather than falling prey to the extremes of either self-neglect or self-punishment where movement is concerned, move your body in a pleasant, supportive atmosphere. This means that even when exercising alone, transform negative self-talk about the bodyself into a positive affirmation of what the body can do ~ rather than what it can’t do (or berating it for its size or appearance). Move with emotional as well as physical awareness. Molecules of emotion are contained in every cell of the body. Notice how movement changes feelings. Move mindfully. Notice breathing. Mind to the muscles. Appreciate the miracle of healthy functioning. (Louise Hay’s Body Cards will help remind you of what forgotten body parts like the spleen do for you!) Move with love and connect with the Divine. After all, the body is the only vehicle we have in this world to express our love for self, for one another, and to connect through our creativity to the Divine. Finally, balance movement with rest and recovery.
To connect more to your body’s wisdom, or to heal embodied trauma wounds, log on to our website (www.healing-bridges.com), or e-mail us at linda.healingbridges@gmail.com, or phone us at (410) 827-8324 for more information.
This year, rather than berate and belittle yourself for un-kept resolutions, set the intention of creating the blessings of balance. Remember this, and in the words of the medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”.