Navigating our emotions around our relationship with food and our bodies can feel like a lot. It is normal to build mental blocks in order to prevent ourselves from feeling uncomfortable.
One way to slowly begin curiously examining how our past is impacting our current lives is to take part in mindfulness practices. Engaging in mindfulness exercises can help you to gain more self-awareness and empowerment.
Recognizing how childhood influences impact our body image and relationship to food can greatly help strengthen your recovery from disordered eating. Carving out 10 minutes in your day for meditation can be an effective way to begin tuning into your innate body-mind connection.
Below is a simple, body awareness meditation that may allow you to connect with your thoughts and feelings in order to gain a sense of peace.
Body Awareness Meditation
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Begin in a comfortable position, ideally sitting upright with your feet on the floor.
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Start to notice the flow of your breath.
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Try not to judge it.
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Notice where your breath is originating from your chest, stomach, or diaphragm.
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On your next inhale, count to eight, then hold your breath for two and exhale to the count of 10.
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Do three rounds of this.
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Finally, allow your breath to return to its normal state, and take note if anything changes mentally or physically.
Learning to trust your body and be the curious, intuitive, and observant child you once were is going to take investment into your own recovery and taking a gentle look into the past. Hold hope that recovery from disordered eating is possible!
Remember that we were all born with the ability to give our body what it needs and to listen to the cues it gives us to survive, thrive, and be authentically ourselves.
If you would like to learn more about working with an Evolve clinician, we offer a complimentary 15-minute call.
Written by Emily Bachmeier
Excerpts from Evolve founder, Shrein Bahrami’s book, “Stop Bingeing, Start Living: Proven Therapeutic Strategies for Breaking the Binge Eating Cycle”
