Whole Body Wellness

Are you truly nourishing yourself?
When you think about feeding yourself, you likely think about breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course these meals are important, but I actually believe that what is equally important is how you feed or nourish yourself with things other than food.

In our society we look to food to fill many needs such as entertainment, companionship, relaxation, and celebration. Do you find that you grab a bag of chips to entertain you at night? Do you use chocolate to help you relax? How about ordering a pizza and a pint of ice cream for some companionship? Trust me, you're not alone. This is a major area in which my clients come to me for support. Working on this often involves changing habits we've had for most of our life, so it's not always an easy thing to do.

I also struggle with this at times. A few weeks ago I was looking for a way to celebrate my accomplishments. I kept thinking about going out to dinner or getting a treat like ice cream. Then I realized I would be sabotaging my health if I always used food to celebrate my success. I turned my mind to some non-food things such as buying fresh flowers, taking a bath, or getting a massage. The benefits of choosing these things is that they truly nourish me, they are guilt-free, and the positive effects last longer than an ice cream cone.

Don't get me wrong, I believe there's always a time and place for pizza and chocolate. That being said, I have found that food becomes less important when we nourish ourselves with things other than food. Not only that, but we become happier and more fulfilled with life.

What can you do to start nourishing yourself with things other than food? I recommend making a list of things that are fun and relaxing for you. Include things that only take 15 minutes as well as things that take a couple of hours. Include activities that you do alone or with others. They can be free or cost money. I find it helps to have variety in your list.

Once you have your list, add in one fun and relaxing activity each day. I find it helps to schedule things on my calendar in advance, so I don't forget. Try committing to this for one week and see how it feels.

Your first step towards reaching your goals is to get support.