My Body is My Compass

It’s easy to feel out of control when constant messaging from society and the media are telling us to shrink. Even though it may be background noise and not directly advice that you take the heat, the messages can take up space in your thoughts and slowly you might start following “food rules” without even realizing it, or wondering where they even came from. Do you ever catch yourself scanning the restaurant menu for the salads or grilled chicken breast without even checking in with yourself and asking “do I want this?” Maybe take the time now to reflect on the last time you went out to eat, and ask yourself: do I order what I want, or do I order what I should on autopilot? These little food rules creep up subtly but change our behavior drastically.

Subtle disordered eating (not a diagnosed eating disorder) has consequences beyond you. Skipping out on an ice cream run, avoiding pancakes in the morning, or commenting about the “health status” of a food can be based on preference, but if it’s not, I challenge you to be aware of who is around you. Little ones are particularly vulnerable and they are way more observant than you think. Skipping the shared meal times can be puzzling for little ones, and you risk provoking disordered eating thoughts within themselves. Maybe they can teach us a lesson about being present. In their minds, who would EVER give up soft serve ice cream after dinner?! It’s a privilege and a joy and we should embody that same enthusiasm when sharing sweet treats with not only children, but even when we’re on our own.

When you’re in the moment and experience your food, it’s going to resonate as more than nutrients. When you dial in, you’ll realize, your body knows exactly what it needs and how much it needs. It guides you like a compass if you let it do its thing. I would slow down, taste each bite, laugh, and drink. Check in with yourself and parse out what sounds good. When you let your mind surrender to your body's own compass, you may find your food rules disappearing and that you yourself are the experience of eating food and you will begin to trust all of the signals your body is sending you.