Every holiday arrives, with its host of delicious goodies and treats, presenting us a very strange dichotomic question: “What’s more important to me — my happiness or my health?”
This holiday I want to briefly explain the difference between self-love and self-care when it comes to food. Then I’ll wish you a very merry season and hope it helps through this year!
Self-Love & Self-Care: their role in your health & wellness.
It’s no surprise that I talk to my students about self-love and self-care being at the centre of a wellness or weight loss plan. This, I think, is obvious. What is not so obvious is the how, why and what I mean by these two things.
Self Love for Health
Loving yourself is just like the loving connections you have with the people closest to you. They (should) care, first and foremost, for your happiness (as you do theirs). Everything else comes second. Rights or wrongs, shoulds or shouldn’ts, justice and mercy — all of it comes second to the genuine desire for your happiness.
Self-love is the feeling that takes a stand and says “I don’t care how hard it is to get healthier, it’s going to make me happy and that is so worth it!”
Self-love in health also deals with the messiness that arises when we make difficult decisions for our well-being, healthy lifestyle changes that require sacrifice, and face the turmoil and challenges within that have depleted our wellness in the first place.
Self-Love is the nurturance and support you need to take action for your health & wellness.
Self Care & Health
Self-care is the habits, the knowledge, and the decisions you make in your journey to health. Everything from healthy eating to exercising to drinking water to getting a good night’s sleep is an activity in self-care. It’s no surprise that self-care is at the epicentre of most health/wellness plans, but what is often overlooked is the seed which self-care comes from!
Self-care is the actions that take control of your health which self-love inspires.
True self-care for health can be anything self-love decides.
Celebratory (Over)Eating: Self-Care, Self-Love or Self-Sabotage?
The number one marker of your physical health is happiness. Ok, it’s not “happiness” per se, but it’s definitively “not too stressed out” that is the truest indicator of your health and well-being. If you read between the lines in the research, every major indicator of poor health (from blood pressure to obesity) is caused by stress.
ie. Happiness is freaking key to health and wellness. Celebrations and even overeating can be part of self-care!
If you want to eat a bunch out of genuine self-love, at this celebration or the next, then that is an act of self-care my friend!
The task you have this holiday is EAT MINDFULLY to get the most enjoyment out of your food!
Mindful Eating Steps: Cure Emotional Eating
- Put down the food (if you’ve just become aware), close your eyes and slow you’re breathing.
- Look at the food. What do you see? How many colours? Textures? How many shades of each colour?
- If you are panicky, or desperate-feeling, tell yourself you can have as much as you want but slowly.
- Pick up the food (in utensil or hand) and study it closer. Give thanks for having wonderful food to eat.
- What does it smell like?
- Take a small, but satisfying bite – how does it feel in your mouth?
- Put down fork or next bite.
- What does it taste like?
- How does it change as you chew?
- Enjoy it. Fully.
- Chew until you’re comfortable your stomach will be happy with you swallowing.
- Repeat!
- If food isn’t what you need – it should become apparent pretty quickly. Check the emotional needs checklist and make a plan!
