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"The loathing that a person who … feels fat directs at herself is consuming, it is furious, it destroys everything in its path." ~ Geneen Roth "On the journey of self-discovery, let us stop looking for what is wrong with us. Let us discover, instead, who we are and how we work! Let us put our judgment aside as we explore the amazing system of selves within us and learn to live with ever-increasing honesty, choice and freedom." ~ Hal and Sidra Stone Reflections for Staying AttunedOne of the most powerful things we can do to heal eating issues is to deal with our Inner Critic. We all have an Inner Critic that develops early on. It might start out criticizing our efforts to please mom and graduate to deciding we are not smart enough. Somewhere along the way, we begin to take in society’s messages that we need to monitor our bodies, that our bodies are not good enough. The Inner Critic loves that! As we internalize society’s messages, we begin disliking our bodies and possibly start dieting. The Inner Critic, in all its glory, grows stronger yet. And then something happens. The Inner Critic cultivates a Body Critic, which begins to take on a life of its own. For some, the Body Critic harasses us once in a while, but for those with eating issues, it is practically a full-time operation. Many believe the Body Critic is helpful—that it will somehow rein us in and we will finally get our food right. And that is exactly what the Body Critic wants us to think. However, the reality is that the Body Critic actually contributes to eating problems. The Body Critic’s most powerful weapons against us are secrecy and speed. Most of the time, we have no idea as to the extent of the negative messages we receive on a daily basis. Usually this negativity hits us so fast and so fiercely that before we can do anything, the Body Critic is on to its next put-down. To begin silencing the Body Critic, we need to become hyper-aware of what it is saying. At first, this is an exceedingly unpleasant task. No one wants to listen to harsh put-downs all day. However, once you know exactly what it is saying, you will be in the perfect position to begin transforming the damaging negative messages of the Body Critic. Stay Attuned TipFor two days, tune into the critical things you say to yourself about your food and your body. Pay especially close attention to the comments that you typically think are harmless. “Oh, my hair looks terrible.” “I hate my wiggly arms.” Jot down these comments. You might want to consider recording them on your Food Journal. Notice the secrecy and speed the Body Critic uses. Consider the influence this Body Critic has had in your life. Stay Attuned Affirmation "I am becoming more aware of my Body Critic. " What's New at Nourishing ConnectionsAbsolutely nothing! We’ve been busy working on a book proposal. Meanwhile, we want to make sure you know how much we appreciate you. Thanks for staying attuned. 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 dr.k@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 If you experience delivery problems, check here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stay Attuned™ is written by Karin Kratina, PhD, RD © Copyright 2006. 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. |