"Kind Journal" Yourself to Calm and Ease Around Food Over the Holidays

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Relying on a "kind question journal” is a powerful practice that helps you not only be more at ease around food but helps you build a more satisfying life.

How it works

Create a minimum of a ten-minute quiet and private space for yourself. Watch your breath for three or four inhales and exhales. Round up and drop your shoulders two or three times for tension release. Then, in your "kind question journal" write out your question.

For example, you might write, “What would nourish my heart and soul today?”

Stay real. You may have three small children, visiting relatives, a tighter budget than usual and a bad hair day. You may be out of work or afraid of losing a job you don’t like. You may be alone because people you care about are out of reach this year.

Allow your wise self to respond to your kind question. Examples could be:

read a poem;
take a 10-minute walk or a 10-minute bath;
have a spiritual time out in reading or prayer or meditation;
make something pretty;
get rid of some clutter;
fix something that’s been untended for a long time;
finish a project or put time in on a project you've neglected;
play a silly game that makes you and someone else laugh;
go to a park or museum and surround yourself with beauty;

Then, schedule a time ASAP that day to follow your wisdom instructions.

Examples

Examples of kind question to use until you develop your own:
“What do I need? What's the first step I can take toward achieving that today?"
"What are my real priorities today?"
"What do I care most about?"
"How can I create peace with x?"
"How can I do everything I want to do?" (Be patient and gentle on this. The answer may be that you can’t, and that’s okay. ) Follow up with, "What can I realistically do, just for today?"

Over time, as you follow the guidance of your own wisdom, you will be nourishing yourself in meaningful ways. Food will no longer be the answer to your needs. Once you ask your real questions you will find that your internal wisdom provides much better answers than your eating disorder voice.

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.