Hey Beautiful Badasses!
I had originally planned to pop in today to share some tips on how to navigate Thanksgiving when you’re struggling with food and your body.
I even wrote a beautiful email with 5 tips to make it through the holiday as unscathed as possible.
But, I woke up at 5:30 this morning thinking, “that email sucks!”
Now, I’ll be honest…the email doesn’t really suck.
It included 5 tips that may be helpful to you, but they also may not be helpful for you at all (I'll posit it on my blog later today if you want to check it out).
And that’s because food and body healing is nuanced, it’s layered and it can be hard as eff.
If it were easy, everyone would do it. And if everyone did it, 70% of women wouldn’t be engaging in disordered eating behaviors everyday.
And really, tips may propel you and support you as you do the work to heal parts of yourself, at times they’re just air.
They just take up space.
And they can leave too many people wondering if anyone REALLY gets them.
Or, if anyone ever will.
I remember feeling that way when I was knee deep in my own healing process, reading article after article from gurus that left me feeling alone and perpetually misunderstood.
So, I sprung out of bed this morning and cancelled the auto-scheduler, so that you didn’t get another message in your inbox rattling off tips that you can nod your head at, but wonder if anyone REALLY gets what you’re going through.
Because the last thing I want anyone in this community to feel is that you’re alone. Or, that you’re not understood.
I want you to know that I see you.
I want you to know that you don’t have to be ashamed about wanting to skip the holiday altogether because of the feelings you don’t want to feel and the challenges you’re undoubtedly going to face.
I want you to know that a day that revolves around food and messages that you should wear the stretchiest pants possible, to #treatyourself, to JUST eat already (if only it were that simple!), that you can just work it off after, and to show some damn gratitude for all that you have... can be triggering as hell for so many people.
- Those of you who are worried what people will think or say about the way your body looks.
- Those of you who are worried about the epic binge that could be lurking around your Thanksgiving Day table.
- Those of you who are cringing at not being able to control how many calories are lurking in your sister’s mashed potatoes.
- Those of you who are celebrating with family and friends who mean the world to you.
- Those of you who are celebrating on your own. Or not even celebrating at all.
- Those of you who have lost the most important people in your life and are just going through the motions this holiday season.
- Those of you who are dreading being around THAT family members who make you feel all the things, no matter how hard you work to build your boundaries in a healthy way.
I see you.
Your struggle is real.
Your feelings are valid.
And above all, you already have the resources you need to make it through the day as unscathed as possible inside of you.
Take a minute to imagine how you want to feel this Thanksgiving (ie loved, connected, grateful, present) despite your fear, your hesitation, your grief, and your doubt that you can trust yourself around all the food.
Call out whatever that feeling is.
Now, get quiet with yourself.
Take some time to consider how you can proactively create that feeling this Thursday.
What can you do to soothe yourself as you’re knee deep in feeling all of the things.
How you can offer yourself compassion and kindness.
How you can honor your body regardless of how it appears.
How you can show up, be present and allow yourself to create the experience you’re hoping for.
, you already have the answers you need.
Give yourself permission to be with yourself.
To be in the here and now.
To create and craft your experience.
On Thursday, if you find that you’ve disconnected from that feeling, that you’ve disconnected from yourself, gently remind yourself to be here.
Take a deep breath, shift back to the present and call to mind the feeling you’re after.
Consider if your actions, your words and your presence of mind and body are in line with that feeling.
Make the decision to get back to crafting and creating that experience.
Or, allow yourself to shift to create and craft whatever resonates for you in that moment. And do it authentically and unapologetically.
In a world where we look to the guru’s to give us all the tips we need to make it through, shift back to your inner knowing.
No one knows what you need better than you.
Trust yourself.
Be kind to your mind and to your body.
Reconnect to your mind and body
Be here now.
