I have just returned from a course that has had an amazing effect on me. Set on a hill, above the Vale of Evesham, the centre where the course was held - Farncombe Estate - was idyllic in itself. The sound of birdsong filled the air and views from so many vantage points feasted our eyes.

 It is at times like these that I feel, again, the importance of feeding our spirits with such joys. These are the moments that are so much more fulfilling than food. They feed our souls and not our stomachs. There residual effect is long-lasting, where excessive food is not.

Creating ‘Me Time’, to experience such special events or moments, is a vital part of ensuring that you have plenty of opportunities for self-loving actions. My ‘Me Time’ and the reason for being away, was to ‘Sing From the Souls of My Feet’! Well, that was the name of the course and it is exactly what we did.

We learnt breathing and body techniques that linked our minds with every part of our body, right down to the tips of our toes. It highlighted again for me the importance of…

¯    Loving our body enough to want to connect with it in a caring way.

¯    Keeping our mind and body connection flowing.

¯    Being in touch with our body signals, as much as possible throughout the day.

¯    Keeping the mind switched onto the body before, during and after eating.

¯    Creating harmony between mind and body, by knowing what it really wants and needs, to keep it happy and healthy.

It is too easy to listen to what others tell us we should be eating, how much or in what way it should be consumed. For most of us, the problem is this does not lead to permanent weight loss.

Getting to know your body from the inside out means developing a new and exciting relationship that really does eventually see you ‘Singing From the Souls of Your Feet’!

The problem with human nature is that it is far too easy for many of us to perpetuate the habits that create pain in our life. Take comfort eating for example, we all know that it creates momentary pleasure but long-term pain.

However, we almost always focus our attention on the short term pleasure factors associated with eating for comfort. We conveniently ignore the pain that follows.

 This ability to ignore reality keeps us trapped in a cycle of unhappiness. Here the pain is just not felt enough to make us change our habits permanently. That is because in the moment of our cravings we switch off our fear and pain factors and only focus on the momentary pleasure the food will bring.

One way round this problem, that can help you break your cycle of inappropriate eating, is to place your focus on the pain that comfort eating brings. The fact is, we will do more to avoid pain than we will to seek pleasure, so let’s examine the pain that comfort eating brings…

·          Increased weight

·          Depression

·          Fear of ill health

·          Feelings of failure

·          Feelings of being unloved and unlovable

·          Feelings of shame and guilt

·          Increased self-loathing

Eventually when we do switch our focus to these well known pains, what we usually do is ruminate on them. We think about them at great length and then try to solve the problem by more thinking.

 THIS IS THE TRAP!

Thinking about what we have done or even the reasons why, will not solve the problem. All it does is take us on a downward spiral of negative emotions and unhappiness. The fact is, no amount of thinking about our past actions will aid us in our quest to prevent our comfort eating. What is required comes from a very different set of habits and skills. These are the skills of habit change…

1.    When thinking or reaching out for comfort food switch your thoughts to the pain and unhappiness it will create.

2.    Feel the pain and the unhappiness it creates.

3.    Now bring your thoughts into the present moment using the ‘Mindfulness’ technique of focussing your attention on your breath for a few minutes.

4.    Keep bringing your attention back to your in and out breaths as your mind wanders. (Don’t fight this as it is quite normal for your mind to wander)

5.    Now focus your mind again on the pain and unhappiness that the comfort eating brings in its aftermath.

6.    Finally, consider what loving action you can take to overcome the stresses that are making you reach out for food.

NOW TAKE ACTION AND REPLACE YOUR COMFORT EATING WITH COMFORT LOVING!

Increasing your level of exercise is always a good way of reducing weight and the effects of stress, which often lead to comfort eating. But there is another way of combating the dreaded comfort eating – through the power of the mind.

  Comfort eating is often triggered by the habit of focussing incessantly on negative thoughts, feelings and food. Whatever the external trigger (stress, boredom, loneliness etc.) it throws our minds into a state of rumination. This is where we are churning negative thoughts and beliefs in our head. The more we ruminate, the more our negative mood deepens and the more we want food as a comforter.

Natural instinct is to try and think our way out of this unhappy state but that just increases the rumination and our misery. The interesting fact is that thinking about our thoughts is a trap that leads to more comfort eating.

Research has shown that the way out of this sorry state is to exercise the mind in a different way. This form of mental exercise is based on the meditation technique of focussing on the breath. Such a focus brings you into the 'NOW' (the present moment) and away from thoughts of food and your negative ruminating. It brings with it a feeling of peace and therefore a reduction in the need to comfort eat.

 The way to do this is to concentrate on your breathing. Feel the sensation of your breath as it travels in and out of your body. Feel the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen. Trace the breath flow though your body, right to your toes and then out again. Let all thoughts of food and negativity go. As the thoughts drift back, don't fight them, just keep refocusing back on your in and out breaths.

Whilst you can use this technique as the basis of a meditation, you can also use it whatever you are doing. It heightens all your senses and makes you far more focussed on whatever you are doing.

Practice switching onto your breathing as often as possible every day. Do this for a period of 5 – 10 minutes or longer. Use it especially when something has raised your stress levels. Like exercise it takes daily practice but the results are amazing...

• Reduced comfort eating
• Increased happiness
• Increased self-esteem
• Reduced stress
• Reduced focus on food
• Increases concentration

Happy breathing!