Why do we consume food? Clearly it’s just not for survival. We are more evolved than that. If it were just for nourishment, half of life’s struggles would disappear. If it was just for sustenance, we would just eat anything at all and not be concerned with taste and flavor.
In today’s world food feels more like a non-prescription drug. Feeling lonely – let’s get some salty crackers off a packet, feeling sad or anxious–let’s get some sugar. Feeling tired – let’s get some coffee.
The fact is we expect a certain fulfillment from the food we consume. It’s the reason we go out sometimes or eat different cuisines or even just different food items. Each type of food offers us a different type of experience. And sometimes our mind craves the experience that only comes from consuming certain foods.
Food is one of our oldest, longest and most intimate relationships and one of the most complex too. We engage with food from our first day of life until our last day of life. Like all relationships we have around us, there are ups and downs.
So now let’s assume that all your eating habits are a reflection of your overall personality and let’s reflect how you approach life. Be completely non-judgmental and observe your own patterns.
- Do you eat to cope with your emotions?
- Do you eat out of boredom?
- Are you attached to certain foods that are not good for your body-mind and refusing to let go?
- Are you simply mindless in choosing foods?
- Are you eating more than what your body needs? Or giving it less of what it needs?
Ask yourself if you identify these same patterns in other areas of your life too. To heal your relationship with food you have to heal your relationship with life. Self-awareness is the key to heal either of these aspects. Our eating habits are not isolated, but a part of our overall makeup. Instead of feeling guilt or stress about eating, use them as messages to help you identify where you have to heal.
If you are looking into transforming your relationship with food, that is one of SOMA’s main focus in our EAT pillar. You can book a wellness discovery call with the SOMA Coaches to discover more on this or simply email us any queries that you may have.
