Stay Attuned ™: The E-zine for Nourishing ConnectionsYour journey to freedom from food and weight struggles presents an opportunity for not only a new relationship with food, but also a new relationship with yourself and others. Ultimately, it is a journey of nourishing connections with yourself, others--and yes--even food. Stay Attuned™ is committed to supporting you in this journey and to helping you develop nourishing connections that will last a lifetime. Remember, a journey always starts with one small step....
From fellow travelers,
Nourishing Nuggets
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.”
“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.” Reflections for Staying AttunedA search for perfection is always a search for fault. And once we find the inevitable faults, perfectionism sets up the expectation that all faults can and should be eliminated. Inescapably, our scrutiny will reveal that how we are, how we look or how we perform is just not good enough. It’s easy to see why diets, with their rules of how to behave and promises of getting the body and life you want, are so seductive. Diets prompt us to focus on a perfect, idealized end result instead of focusing on and valuing the process of self care that creates true change. In focusing on a perfect end result, we move away from knowing and trusting that, no matter what, we have “basic goodness.” We move away from knowing that, instead of turning our power over to a rigid vision of how we should achieve some goal (the diet’s rules), we can trust our body and our soul’s preferences to be excellent guiding compasses. And, in tuning into ourselves versus who or how we should be, we will find a natural fueling of our energy for moving forward. It is helpful to consider nature as the model when we find ourselves judging how we look or how we perform. Is the sky the “wrong” color of blue? Is the porcupine imperfect because he doesn’t have soft kitten fur? Is the manatee any less graceful and healthy than the greyhound? Is the squirrel that collects only 14 acorns instead of 22 in one day a failure? Is the turtle’s walking pace not fast enough next to the hare’s sprint? What’s the “perfect” walking speed? When we keep our sights on perfection, our focus will always be on what went poorly and we will feel negative and undeserving. We lose sight of what is going well, and in the process, deprive ourselves of energizing pleasure and satisfaction. When we begin to embrace the natural “imperfectness” in the world around us and in ourselves, we can begin to let go of perfectionism and experience the simplicity, comfort and movement of “good enough.” To
shift from seeking perfection to seeing the “good enough” in how we are
and all we do enables us to develop a positive, relaxed attitude towards
life—one that will ironically bring us closer to the original intent of
our perfectionism: doing things well and feeling good about it! Stay Attuned TipSelect two days this week. The first day will be Seek Perfection Day. Spend the day trying to do everything perfectly. Pay attention to how you feel and how your body feels. The second day will be Good Enough Day. Risk allowing yourself to do things “good enough.” Allow yourself to move through the world as a fellow creature tuned into your basic goodness and sense of belonging on the earth just as you are. Notice your feelings and how your body feels.
Compare the days. What were the differences? Stay Attuned Affirmation“Today I choose good enough in myself and the world.” What's New at Nourishing ConnectionsLearn more about recovering from perfectionism. Read Six Ways Perfectionism Holds You Back at Nourishing Connections Articles. Feedback and ClosingWelcome to our new subscribers, and hello to current members! Stay Attuned™ exists for you. If you have ideas for topics or feedback (did you try an idea? how did it go?), please write us at ideas@nourishingconnections.com. Spread the WordFeel free to forward this E-zine to others. We just ask that you keep the E-zine intact, including contact and copyright information. For any other use, written permission is required. And thank you for sharing Stay Attuned™! Subscribe or UnsubscribeTo subscribe (to join), email join-stayattuned@list.nourishingconnections.com. To unsubscribe (be removed from list), email leave-stayattuned@list.nourishingconnections.com. Delivery Problems
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Stay Attuned™
is written by Karin Kratina, PhD, RD © Copyright 2005. Dr. Karin Kratina and Amy Tuttle. All rights reserved. ~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended to constitute a
professional relationship between Karin or Amy or the reader, nor is it
intended as therapy or counseling. Be sure to consult a qualified
professional if you require medical or psychological services. |