As anyone who has suffered from disordered eating can tell you, it's impossible to find any peace of mind when you're obsessing about the numbers on the scale or the label. Yet when you focus on nourishing a healthy body and mind, the food and weight somehow take care of themselves.
But it's not always easy. Sometimes the biggest barrier to a healthy choice is our own fears about what other people will think of it. For example, we plan a healthy snack, but then leave it at home when we're asked to take our kids on a last-minute trip to the mall. Or we cancel a doctor's appointment because things are getting busy at work.
In both of those cases, we didn't want to disappoint someone—either the kids or the boss. We want to be liked, loved and appreciated, and unconsciously we bend over backwards to make sure that we are. And that sometimes means turning away from our healthy behaviors and back towards the food or unhealthy eating patterns.
There's a saying that "whatever you put in front of your recovery, you will lose" (along with your recovery). Even if you don't actually lose the person, your relationships will definitely suffer if you keep sacrificing your self-care to please other people.
When you put your self-care first and say no to requests from friends, family or work, you don't always get a warm reception. But in the long run, you will be a much better friend, spouse, daughter, mother, sister, boss or employee if you're healthy, happy and free from the obsession with food and weight.
Inevitably, your recovery will lead to better relationships with all of the people in your life.
Watch for our next post, when we'll share some upcoming events, resources and links. Then later in the month, we'll have personal examples of self-care routines from the White Picket Fence Counseling Center team. We'll also talk more about food plans and how they help to get your mind off the food.