Through Thick and Thin: My Evening Ritual

Monday, November 2, 2009

My Evening Ritual

Just a short one tonight. I have a new evening ritual. I don't do this every night, but on night where I want a special bit of care. I do this now instead of having that bit of food I'm not really hungry for, or smoking, or drinking a glass or 7 of wine.

I run the bath ... not too cold, not too hot. Sometimes I have a face pack on too. I get in and it smells wonderful ... I but my bath stuff from Lush. Those in the UK will be familiar with the wonderful sweetie shop scents. Surrounded by this scent I spend 30 minutes or so reading my book, relaxing and sipping a drink I have one the side. It could be a cherry juice or a warming mug of cocoa.

Once bath time's over, it's into the bedroom. I've left the nightlight on, as earlier when the bulb was cold I rubbed some lavender essential oil onto it. The room smells calm, tranquil, inviting. I sometimes have a nice body lotion then get into my PJ's. I switch off the nightlight and gaze up at the glow in the dark stars I have on the ceiling as I drift off .....

As a lifelong insomniac, sleep has been something that has eluded me for years. A lack of decent sleep leads me to overeat and indulge in too much alcohol. I am rarely lucky enough to be able to climb into bed and nod off, I envy those who can. This bedtime ritual is one way I take care of myself and overcome my insomnia problem. I'm important and I deserve lovely sleep. Night all xx

6 comments:

CathyC said...: yes you do! goodnight!; November 2, 2009 3:41 PM
GinaH said...: That sounds absolutely wonderful!!; November 4, 2009 8:35 AM
Golda said...: JenJam, what a beautiful, juicy, empowering, gorgeous blog this is! I am so glad to have found you! Keep on keepin on!; November 7, 2009 1:53 PM
Francesca said...: Thank you for this post! I felt relaxed and snuggly just reading it. Also the tip about lavender oil on the bulb - good idea, will try that.; November 8, 2009 1:37 AM
Shannon said...: This sounds wonderful! I do something similar. I call it my bedtime ritual. It really helps me unwind and unplug from my day. It's great to see you taking such wonderful care of yourself. You do indeed deserve it!; November 10, 2009 10:28 AM
Denise said...: I think I will go and buy some nice smelling bath oil or something have a long soak tomorrow. For tonight I will spray some lavender oil on my pillow.; November 11, 2009 7:24 PM

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'The In-Body Experience'... 10 Steps to Reclaim the Intuitive Eater Within

1) Reject the diet mentality. Throw out the diet books and magazine articles that offer you the false hope of losing weight quickly, easily, and permanently. Get angry at the lies that have led you to feel as if you were a failure every time a new diet stopped working and you gained back all of the weight. If you allow even one small hope to linger that a new and better diet might be lurking around the corner, it will prevent you from being free to rediscover intuitive eating. (Excerpt from, "Intuitive Eating", By, Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A.)

2) Eat when you are physically hungry. Much like your car will alert you when the gas tank is low, your body also signals when you are in need of fuel. Pay attention to these signs and respond consistently. It is helpful, when reestablishing communication with your body to ask the question, "Am I truly hungry?", when the urge to eat strikes. If the answer is a resounding, "Yes", be sure to address that need.

If however, you find you are not physically hungry, you may be trying to fill an emotional need with food. In this case, it would become vital to seek more balanced sources of support. In these moments, keep in mind that food can't fix it. Sometimes,
simply being present in honoring your feelings can act as a catalyst for healing.

3) Lift all food restrictions. Eat what your body is asking you for, without judgment. With intuitive eating, all food is equal. Nothing is off limits. There are no 'good' or 'bad' foods. You are not virtuous for dining on salad and likewise, not naughty for enjoying a cupcake. Ditch the guilt.

With intuitive eating we reclaim the pleasure of food. Make peace with food and trust your body to guide you in your nutritional choices. Keep your head out of it when making food selections. Trust your gut.

Initially, you may find yourself eating more of the foods that used to be on your banned list. This is a natural part of healing your relationship with food. In consistently responding to your body's needs, without judgment, you will find over time that you are striking a nutritional balance. It will be a natural progression.

4) Bring awareness to the table. Focus on your food while you eat; free from distraction. This means taking the time to sit and eat without the television, computer, magazines, work, or phone calls to divert your attention. Think of it as time to recharge and replenish yourself. This time is for your self-care.

Engage your senses as you eat; savoring the experience. Inhale the aroma of your meal. Chew your food slowly, noticing it's flavor and texture. Chew each mouthful until liquefied. Once you have swallowed, you can move on to the next bite.

Slowing down will help you hear your body's signals of satiety. You will also find that eating becomes a more satisfying experience.

5) When you are satiated, push away the plate. Eating past your point of fullness is not respectful of your body. It doesn't feel good either. Gone are the days when you had to pack it in because a diet was starting tomorrow.

If you are hungry later, you can always have more. The food isn't going anywhere. The key is to honor your body's limits and listen for the signal that sounds when you have had your fill.

6) Scream a loud 'No' to thoughts in your head that declare you're 'good' for eating under 1,000 calories or 'bad' because you ate a piece of chocolate cake. The Food Police monitor the unreasonable rules that dieting has created. The police station is housed deep in your psyche and its loudspeaker shouts negative barbs, hopeless phrases, and guilt-provoking indictments. Chasing the Food Police away is a critical step in returning to Intuitive Eating. (Excerpt from, "Intuitive Eating", By, Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A.)

7) Find ways to comfort, nurture, distract, and resolve your issues without using food. Anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and anger are emotions we all experience throughout life. Each has its own trigger, and each has its own appeasement. Food won't fix any of these feelings. It may comfort for the short term, distract from the pain, or even numb you into a food hangover. But food won't solve the problem. If anything, eating for an emotional hunger will only make you feel worse in the long run. You'll ultimately have to deal with the source of emotion, as well as the discomfort of overeating. (Excerpt from, "Intuitive Eating", By, Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A.)

8) Accept your genetic blueprint. Just as a person with a shoe size of eight would not expect realistically to squeeze into a size six, it is equally futile (and uncomfortable) to have a similar expectation about body size. Respect your body so you can feel better about who you are. It's hard to reject the diet mentality if you are unrealistic and overly critical of your body shape. (Excerpt from, "Intuitive Eating", By, Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D., and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A.)

9) Forget militant exercise. Just get active and feel the difference. Shift your focus to how it feels to move your body, rather than the calorie-burning effect of exercise. If you focus on how you feel from working out, such as energized, it can make the difference between rolling out of bed for a brisk morning walk or hitting the snooze alarm. If when you wake up, your only goal is to lose weight, it's usually not a motivating factor in that moment of time. (Excerpt from, "Intuitive Eating", By, Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A.)

10) Make food choices that honor your health and taste buds while making you feel well. Remember that you don't have to eat a perfect diet to be healthy. You will not suddenly get a nutrient deficiency or gain weight from one snack, one meal, or one day of eating. It's what you eat consistently over time that matters. Progress, not perfection, is what counts. (Excerpt from, "Intuitive Eating", By, Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A.)

Helpful Reading Material for Those on the Intuitive Eating Journey

"Health at Every Size", By, Linda Bacon, PhD - A must read that separates fat from fiction when it comes to how weight and body size affects health. Also contains valuable information about reaching a state of health and well-being independent of body size. An essential read for everybody and particularly timely for those in the fields of medicine and human services.
"It's Not About Food", By, Carol Emery Normandi, MFT and Laurelee Roark, CCHT - An essential read for anyone on the path to making peace with food and their bodies. Delves into the deeper layers of the journey. This book is extremely helpful for those in the later stages of the process when the core issues surface. A life saver!
"Beyond Chocolate", By, Sophie Boss and Audrey Boss - An approachable introduction to intuitive eating. Reads like you are having a chat with a dear friend.
"Intuitive Eating", By, Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D. and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A. - Vital support and information from the founders of intuitive eating.
"You Can Heal Your Life" and "You Can Heal Your Life Companion Book", By, Louise L. Hay - A true classic and resource for a wealth of healing tools.

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Through Thick and Thin

Monday, November 2, 2009

My Evening Ritual

6 comments:

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'The In-Body Experience'... 10 Steps to Reclaim the Intuitive Eater Within

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