Watch the video below to find how to Control Cravings.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Cravings are really, really tough to deal with. I have been there so many times I couldn't even tell you.
And there are lots of specific things you can do for cravings, which I've talked about in other videos.
But I want to talk about your mindset around cravings. There is one thing that you can always do to address cravings.
Actually, I recommend that you 100% of the time, at least make an effort to do this one thing.
And that one thing is to nourish, first, nourish first.
If you find yourself feeling frustrated, or struggling or thinking about food, or "why did I do this? Why did I do that? Why can't I eat better, I have to have ice cream right now I have to have chocolate right now."
Just stop, nourish, first, nourish first.
Once you nourish yourself, then you can take inspired action.
The way that typically we're taught to do it is to buckle down, be tough resist, and use your willpower. You know all kinds of magical things like that, that don't really work that well.
And then they create, not inspired action, but action taken out of fear.
So what I'm going to encourage you to do is to nourish yourself first, so that you can take inspired action, because inspired action is sustainable.
So what can you do to nourish first, well, that's it, it's not just food, there are four areas I want you to pay attention to: your physical body, your emotional body and mind, your intellectual mind, and your spiritual being.
So those are the four areas physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.
If you find yourself with a craving, think about it, how can I nourish my physical body, my emotional world, my spiritual world, or my intellectual world?
For physical: Did you drink water? Did you eat enough protein? Did you eat enough fiber? Did you eat enough healthy fats? That's the crux of it.
So dive right into the physical first because if your physical body is not satisfied, you will have cravings. If you didn't eat enough protein or drink enough water, you're probably going to have cravings.
Second is your emotional world, and emotions are so entangled with our food choices, right?
If we feel stressed, if we feel overwhelmed if we feel sad, food is such a comfort.
Nourish your emotional world first. Even just being aware is a good first step, you don't have to eliminate all of your cravings today. Just be aware, just notice, oh, "when I have that craving, it's usually when I feel sad, or when I feel stressed".
Just notice, give it a name. "Oh, that's me stress eating." "That's me boredom, eating." And allow that.
When you allow yourself to have those emotions, you are nourishing yourself. So that is nourishment, paying attention to honoring, respecting, and loving your emotional world is nourishment.
And if you try to fight it, and you try to suppress those emotions, they're gonna bubble up, they're gonna keep coming up. So face them.
And for those of you who have experienced trauma or have PTSD, please, please talk with your therapist about this. Sometimes it's hard to do this alone, or if you haven't been through therapy, or even if you have, don't face this alone. But start with that awareness.
It's just as important to nourish your body with that tenderness, and paying attention, appreciation and allowing, as it is to nourish your body with water.
Next is intellectual nourishment. I can tell you that for me, a big reason that I will snack or eat things that I really don't want to is boredom.
So make sure that you're nourishing your intellect. Pursue higher education, reading books, and doing puzzles or quizzes.
Nourish your intellectual mind, challenge your intellectual mind. And this can actually lead to fewer cravings.
And finally, we have spiritual nourishment. It's just as important as physical, emotional, and intellectual nourishment. Nourish your spirit or your soul.
You can do that with prayer. You can do it with meditation. You can do it by just being mindful, bringing awareness, being present, being in a state of appreciation, walking, or being in nature. All of these practices are ways to nourish your spirit and your soul.
Your being is seeking out nourishment; physical nourishment, emotional nourishment, intellectual nourishment, and spiritual nourishment.
And when you feed your body, and when you nourish your body, in a loving, accepting, kind, and tender way, you are now going to gain control over your eating habits. And in all areas of your life.
Hey, life happens, I'm not going to say it's going to be perfect or that you're never going to have challenges. Actually, the challenges are part of that nourishment. But maybe that's a topic for another video. But you're going to handle those challenges so much better.
You will be nourished if you feel like you're being taken care of. Your physical body, your emotional body, your entire being is being cared for when you nourish yourself.
So the next time you go to the fridge and go, I want that ice cream or I want those cookies or whatever it is, stop for a moment and think where can I nourish myself right now?
How can I nourish myself right now?
And then once you start to practice that nourishment, then you can take inspired action, then you can start to make consistent changes so that you develop habits that are good for your health.
This is why slowing down is so key, nourish first and then take inspired action.
If you feel stuck, I invite you to hop on a consultation with us.
The cool thing is that we have made this call super accessible to you. Just spending some time with a professional can really move the dial!
If you know what you want and how to get there, then don't bother taking this opportunity. But if you are stuck....we invite you to get started in a low-key, affordable, and easy way.
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