Ok so you had a bad weekend. You ate that piece of cake, pizza, or yikes! an entire bag of potato chips (ME this weekend, I kid you NOT). It happens to the best of us!! Food simply feels good. It comforts us and helps sooth our hurts and forget our pains, at least while we are eating. Then we have remorse and we beat ourselves up and promise tomorrow will be different, until the next time anyway. The blame and shame game begins! It’s a viscous cycle!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Shhhhh, come closer! We are ALL human! We all make mistakes. We all bleed when we are cut. We live, we love, we laugh, we cry. Humans make mistakes, we mess up, that’s what we do. **sigh**
Forgiveness and love, are the foundations to our spiritual lives. We attempt to give forgiveness and let go of resentments toward others. It’s never easy, but I believe forgiving and releasing emotional hurts allows us to nurture our souls and our physcial bodies at a deeper level. I believe holding on to those hurts can create health issues, both physical and mental. (On a side note, forgiving those who have hurt us does not mean we have to remain in the situation that caused the hurt. Forgive and forget? Yes, but we do not have to be reminded of the hurt. Quite the opposite, you should remove yourself. Wounds cannot heal unless they are bandaged and protected. You will know when you feel safe enough to re-enter, if ever.)
So, why can’t we give ourselves the same self-love and forgiveness we give others when we ‘fall short’? Do we not consider ourselves worthy?
How do you determine your self-worth?
Self-worth is not defined by your actions. You will never be able to DO enough to feel worthy. Self-worth comes from within, it is determined by WHO you are, your heart, your soul, your character. Each individual is intricately designed to serve a purpose here. We may not know that purpose yet, but we all will eventually.
My daughter, Rachel, is a huge lover of puzzles, the more pieces the better. I personally do not have the patience for that (ain’t nobody got time for that! LOL). But, I like to think of us all as tiny pieces of a HUGE life puzzle, millions of pieces. Each puzzle piece is unique and necessary. One missing piece makes the puzzle incomplete. Being puzzle pieces, we may not see the big picture. We may have no idea what it should look like. But God is always in control. He knows what the finished puzzle will look like because He’s seen the front of the box. This brings me comfort when I ‘mess’ up and I know He’d want me to forgive myself and move on.
So here you are, you veered off plan? It happens! Here are a few suggestions for self-love, caring and forgiveness:
1. Consider Yourself a Friend – You went to a party and wanted to share in the celebration by eating and drinking. Or you experienced a hurtful event and food was your comfort. Neither situation makes you a ‘bad’ person. It doesn’t devalue you or make you ‘less than.’ Try looking in the mirror and telling yourself what you would tell your very best friend. Be gentle, be kind, be loving and have empathy for yourself. Then move on to a new day.
2. Stop! – Those negative thoughts that breed negative emotions run through our minds like a broken record. Sit with them for a moment, but only a moment. Feel it, but don’t reach for the donut! 🙂 My daughter uses a timer for my three year old granddaughter to indicate when something is coming to an end, the time is up. And my granddaughter knows that a different action will take place at the end of the timer. This works for her! Set your timer! Give yourself that time to sit in your emotions, then Stop! Wash your face and go for a walk!
3. Remain Positive – There is always a new day. It doesn’t matter what the ‘mess up’ is. You can begin again. There are people who love you and will support you unconditionally. Find those people, they are your tribe. Go to a movie, find an activity that doesn’t involve food. 🙂 Create a distraction that you will love. Come to TriForce Fitness, hit a Zumba or Yoga class. Or just stop in and chat with us. We love to chat.
Ultimatley, food is the foundation of our emotional health and our physical health. Food should be our fuel, keeping us from running out of steam and able to fulfill our piece of the puzzle. But food should not be our hugs.
Forgive and love yourself for any past ‘failures.’ Maybe you gained 100 pounds from years of emotional eating or you were on a great path, but gained 10 pounds over vacation. It’s ok. The past is the past and cannot be changed. Create your best future, my friend.
We, at TriForce Fitness, are here to support you! Unconditionally!
Begin today! You have a clean slate!
Namaste, my friend!