1.7.24
Happy New Year, friends!
Wow, I can’t believe we are in the year 2024! It sounds so futuristic, doesn’t it? 2024?! I thought by now we’d be flying around in airplane cars like The Jetson’s. (I’m dating myself here)!
And speaking of futuristic, how many of you feel refreshed and renewed and was ready to turn that calendar page over to a new year? Did you start thinking about your future self? Did you make plans, goals, resolutions (I don’t do resolutions- haven’t in years)? Did you or are you currently thinking about all the ways that you can become your best self? With the new year comes so many opportunities and a fresh start. I mean, afterall, the new year is pretty motivating for these changes, right? But have you ever found yourself NOT sticking to the things that you set out to do?
I know I sure have.
We are constantly trying to “break the bad and build the good.” It’s what we do. It’s all part of the human experience.
We all have hang-ups, habits and hurts. And some of them are really painful. Some of them take up a lot of our energy, time and resources.
BUT LET’S MAKE THIS YEAR DIFFERENT TOGETHER!
This year I invite you to sit with your hang-ups, habits and hurts and REALLY get to know them. What message are they trying to send you? And are you listening? What is the root cause of your sabotaging behavior? Why do you reach for that box of cookies and finish the whole box without even realizing it? Or that bag of popcorn while you binge Netflix and before you know it, the whole bag is gone? This is when mindful eating becomes helpful. More on that in a bit.
For me, I was self-soothing my sensitive nervous system with mostly chardonnay (and sometimes chocolate) from childhood trauma of growing up with a mentally ill brother. I didn’t make the connection until years later well into my adult life that I was numbing from my pain.
You see, Highly Sensitive People are more impacted by difficult life experiences, trauma, burnout, and/or spiritual crisis.
However, we are more likely to respond to interventions through therapy and coaching and as a result are more likely to thrive and experience post-traumatic growth. We can refer to this as spiritual emergence through vantage sensitivity.
Ta da! Enter, The HSP Lifestyle Coach to help you recognize and work through these patterns, hang-ups, hurts and habits!
Author of the book Atomic Habits, James Clear says, “New goals don’t deliver new results. New lifestyles do. And a lifestyle is a process, not an outcome. For this reason, all of your energy should go into building better habits, not chasing better results.” Let’s focus on building the habit of being aware of our behaviors.
Again, start to listen to what your habits and behaviors are trying to tell you. Maybe it’s the perfectionist part of you that is causing you to feel overwhelmed and numb out. Or maybe that inner-critic that won’t let go of the conversation you had with your boss that you imagine he or she took out of context. It could be stories you are telling yourself that you made up all on your own. HSPs have these “parts” in us and if we get to know them, you’ll realize they really are trying to help us and they can become our friends!
Speaking of lifestyles, habits and all of that (as a coach I LOVE to talk about this stuff), I also realize this is also the time of year when folks want to lose weight. So I’ve put together a quick “Guide To Mindful Eating” that will help you to start to recognize your habits and patterns.
Here it is:
CREATE A SHOPPING LIST
Create a list before grocery shopping, and carefully consider everything you add.
What are the benefits? How will you feel when you’ve eaten it? When you’re
confident everything on your list is there because it’s good for you, go to the
grocery store and stick to your list to avoid impulse buys. Avoid any aisles where
you may give in to temptation, like the snack or candy aisles.
WAIT 5 MINUTES WHEN YOU FEEL HUNGRY
When you feel hungry, try to delay eating for just five minutes. Emotional eating
can be mindless and automatic, so this extra time gives you an opportunity to
examine your feelings and decide whether you’re emotionally or physically hungry.
APPRECIATE YOUR FOOD
Take a moment before you eat to express your gratitude for the meal before you,
and congratulate yourself for taking control of your eating habits. As you eat,
remind yourself of the benefits you’re getting from each food.
ENJOY THE TASTES, SMELLS AND FLAVORS OF FOOD
Make eating a multi-sensory experience. Cook with a variety of brightly colored
foods to stimulate the mind, and mix up the textures to keep it interesting. Pay
attention to all the different tastes, smells, and sensations as you eat, and try to
consciously experience all of the different ingredients that make up your meal.
EAT SLOWLY
Take small bites and chew slowly and thoroughly, so that you can pace yourself and really savor your food.
CONCENTRATE ON YOUR FOOD
Concentrate fully on your food. Don’t read or watch TV. Don’t eat on the go
or multi-task. Be in the moment and focus entirely on eating and enjoying your
meal. That way, you’re less likely to overeat.
ACCEPT EMOTIONS
Accept uncomfortable emotions. You may feel powerless over food, but the real
issue is that you feel powerless over your emotions. Do you feel guilty for giving in
to cravings? Do you feel anxious that you’ll lose control? Allow yourself to
experience and process those emotions, rather than avoiding them or criticizing
yourself -it’s the only way to learn how to manage them, and it will get easier with
practice.
I pray everyone had an amazing holiday season and that your new year is off to a banging start!
2024, WE’RE COMIN’ FOR YA!
To learn more about how I can help you design a life that helps you navigate daily challenges that Highly Sensitive People often face, schedule your FREE 30-minute Discovery Call HERE!
Follow The HSP Lifestyle Coach on Instagram here!
And check out my latest post “A Complete Guide To Mindful Eating” here!
In health and sensitivity,
Gretchen
The HSP Lifestyle Coach Blog 