These "for today" cards came in my yoga box a few months ago (one of my amazing clients signed me up for a monthly subscription - it's rad!).
I pulled this card the other morning and a person I'm close to said: "don't you already do that?!"
Yes. I do.
Indulging is defined as "allowing yourself to enjoy a desired pleasure."
In my experience, when you DON'T indulge (allow), this is the equation:
Desire (for food) + Deprive yourself from having it _______________________________ Massive overconsumption of restricted food and guilt
Instead? Give yourself permission to have the food that you desire.
Back in my dieting/depriving days – I would have been caught up in my head about how I "shouldn't" eat the food I was desiring –
I definitely wouldn't enjoy it when I DID (compulsively) eat it – and then would proceed to eat 4 more as a way to deal with the guilt.
It's silly, and yet that's how it goes!
When I started giving myself permission to have the thing I desired and started being fully present for it, I then created the ability to have a full-on pleasurable sensory experience and most often I am satisfied with a few bites.
I know that this concept of giving yourself permission feels scary, because you think that if you truly allowed yourself to eat whatever you were desiring, you'd eat an entire pint of ice cream and 12 pizzas.
Maybe... at first.
I guarantee that scenario would not repeat very many times (especially if combined with mindfulness practice).
I also guarantee that if you WHOLEHEARTEDLY gave yourself permission to have it (rather than just telling yourself that you are) - overeating would lose its appeal.
Again, the removing the need to rebel thing.
I now eat whatever I want, whenever I want.
AND – I mostly eat nutrient dense, whole foods. THAT'S what I've learned my body thrives on to feel fueled, light, satisfied and energized.
I WANT to eat that way (mindfulness practice also helped with this).
If I want a brownie? I have it. That doesn't happen every day, but of course I indulge in that simple pleasure when it does.
While we are on the topic of indulging – I posted last week about allowing yourself to have pleasure, play, adventure, movement, pampering, connection, fun, etc....and therefore not needing food to fill that void. Read that post if you haven't already!
Sometimes that's as simple as just being PRESENT for an experience such as laying it the grass and watching the stars.
Present = mindful (can you tell how imperative mindfulness is to this journey?)
Love, do yourself a favor and INDULGE.
Every. Single. Day.
Xo, Meredith
p.s. I'm creating an online Mindful Eating and Living course that will dive deeper into this – to get on the waiting list to learn more, click here: Intuitive Eating Group
