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| https://www.movenourishbelieve.com/believe/july-editors-letter-lets-live-love-nourish/ |
This is a word that I keep in my toolbox for times when my blood sugar drops but I don't want to acknowledge it. I'm not hungry yet. It hasn't been long enough since I last ate . . .
Our bodies are not made to be starved or deprived or forced. They're made as vessels for us to exist in, but we want them to look a certain way, so we decide that they're not good enough and that they need to be changed. Dieting, obsessive exercise, calorie counting, food rules . . . these are all just ways we've devised to manipulate and control our poor bodies when all they want is for us to love them and do what is truly best for them. Because we're all different, each of our bodies requires a different approach to wellness. Some of us need quiet time. Others of us thrive in social environments. Some enjoy long runs. Others love short yoga flows. But we're all equally worthy, and our bodies deserve the love and respect needed for them to thrive.
So, nourish. We need to give ourselves what is "necessary for growth, for life" and for "health and happiness." We nourish ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Spirituality. Earth-friendly treats. Good friends. Experiences. Generosity.
I get that nourishing can be challenging when so much of what we see around us pushes deprivation. We don't like taking up space, and it seems so desirable to feel like a "paper doll." That's the term my mum uses. She says that, by restricting or punishing or escaping, we're trying to make ourselves into paper dolls. And it's becoming more and more clear to me how true this is. When my skirt doesn't hang off me, or when I feel my arm brush my side, or I sense my own physical presence, I often get panicky. Oh, no, what do I do? There's an insidious inclination for weightlessness--all bones, no skin, like a clothes hanger. A paper doll.
But we aren't paper dolls. We're humans. We're spirits inhabiting bodies that will fluctuate and change, and we have to accept that. We're only going to be here--in these forms--temporarily. Our bodies will eventually return to the stardust from which they were made, but while we have them, we have the obligation to respect them.
Of course, "respect" doesn't translate to "fear." There's a difference there. Back in my darker days, I would see things like "respect your body" and immediately start thinking of all the "rules" I needed to follow in order to be "healthy." Don't eat __. Work out __ times a week. Etc, etc, etc. Following rigid, restrictive rules is NOT respecting your body. That is fearing your body and treating it like it's "out to get you." Your body isn't seeking every opportunity to make you miserable, I promise. It's just doing its best, and all you have to do is make an effort to show your body that you love it. What does love mean? Well, for starters, eat food that makes you feel good physically and mentally. Don't punish yourself with food, and don't deprive yourself of food just because you don't feel like you've "earned it." Food = necessary for survival. When you have the opportunity, choose foods that are sweet to the planet . . . showing love for Mother Earth in the choices we make is rewarding and life-giving :).
Sending <3 for everybody!
I get that nourishing can be challenging when so much of what we see around us pushes deprivation. We don't like taking up space, and it seems so desirable to feel like a "paper doll." That's the term my mum uses. She says that, by restricting or punishing or escaping, we're trying to make ourselves into paper dolls. And it's becoming more and more clear to me how true this is. When my skirt doesn't hang off me, or when I feel my arm brush my side, or I sense my own physical presence, I often get panicky. Oh, no, what do I do? There's an insidious inclination for weightlessness--all bones, no skin, like a clothes hanger. A paper doll.
But we aren't paper dolls. We're humans. We're spirits inhabiting bodies that will fluctuate and change, and we have to accept that. We're only going to be here--in these forms--temporarily. Our bodies will eventually return to the stardust from which they were made, but while we have them, we have the obligation to respect them.
Of course, "respect" doesn't translate to "fear." There's a difference there. Back in my darker days, I would see things like "respect your body" and immediately start thinking of all the "rules" I needed to follow in order to be "healthy." Don't eat __. Work out __ times a week. Etc, etc, etc. Following rigid, restrictive rules is NOT respecting your body. That is fearing your body and treating it like it's "out to get you." Your body isn't seeking every opportunity to make you miserable, I promise. It's just doing its best, and all you have to do is make an effort to show your body that you love it. What does love mean? Well, for starters, eat food that makes you feel good physically and mentally. Don't punish yourself with food, and don't deprive yourself of food just because you don't feel like you've "earned it." Food = necessary for survival. When you have the opportunity, choose foods that are sweet to the planet . . . showing love for Mother Earth in the choices we make is rewarding and life-giving :).
Sending <3 for everybody!
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