If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the answer.
How to use your just B still bracelet:
Internal Inquiry – When you feel the urge to use food to restrict, overeat or when you feel difficulty to sit when you have overeaten, ask yourself: “What is happening in this moment?” Are you feeling physical hunger, or is your hunger spiritual or emotional? When your hunger is not for food, can you just breathe and be still? Awareness of your inner conflict will help you to find your own path to recovery.
Be the observer of these thougths, and gently ask yourself what is happening in this moment.
As you can begin to listen to your body’s signals you will attain inner wisdom and begin to trust your body again.
Inner voice – What is your inner chatterbox voice telling you in its quest for the perfect body? Talk back – you are not your thoughts. Notice these thoughts in your stillness, and remind yourself that your thoughts are not the core of your true being.
The private world that has filled you with Shame, Torment, Isolation and Loneliness, is not the true meaning of your LIFE. The heart of your life is happiness and joy.
Intuition - Stillness is where intuition arises. Intuition is what will guide you back to your normal body signals of hunger and fullness.
Intuition will direct you to eat with regard to what your body’s needs are. Your intuition will allow you to develop a mindful eating practice. This means to eat with full awareness, and without judgment. Through cultivation of intuition, you can relearn how to honor your hunger, and respect your fullness.
Intention - Ask yourself what you can do to attain peace with food. Set a small, reasonable goal and change your intention when you are ready. The seeds of intention you plant today will mature into a farm of heartfulness that you can cultivate for life. In your stillness, find something positive to say about your body. Whether it’s your eyelashes, fingernails or strong arms – it doesn’t matter! JustBstill - balance negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
In your heartfulness, connect to what will awaken you to become more present on your path to a more mindful lifestyle.
Inner compass – get to know yourself. JustBstill and be in touch with what is being stirred up inside your mind. whatever it is you will be able to handle it. The sky will not fall, the earth will not quake, and the sun will keep shining.
Inhabit – your body. Breathe and be still to connect back to your body. Close your eyes, begin at your feet, feel your feet, check in with bodily sensations, as you guide your awareness to your ankles, legs, hips. Justbstill in your belly. Notice any thoughts about the word, “belly”. Are you judging the word, becoming flooded with thoughts? Let go. Breathe in on the in breath - allow your belly to gently expand. On the out breath, allow your belly to slightly contract. Allow your awareness to rest into your belly. As you are ready, move on to the the rest of your body. Hunger and fullness come from our bodies. When we pause and feel into our bodies, we begin to feel these signals again.
Integration – allow yourself the space for stillness daily. JustBstill moments are the key to changing your brain map. Be gentle with yourself.. It’s a practice, not perfection.
If you are someone who would like more info or counseling with an eating disorder, please click on "Nutrition Counseling" Link in the left hand margin
Please take a moment to read this information from beyondhunger.org. Visit their website if you would like to learn more about recovery.
Ten Principles of Beyond Hunger
- Compassion is the foundation of all recovery. Love is the most fertile groud for change.
- Becoming conscious of our behavior, thoughts and feelings, in the moment without judgment opens the door to understanding our struggle with food and weight.
- Returning to our innate wisdom by eating intuitively (i.e. eating when hungry, stopping when full, eating what is satisfying) reconnects us to our physical integrity that lies buried beneath the diet mentality.
- Accepting our bodies exactly as they are right now allows us to make peace with our bodies, thereby empowering us to take better care of our bodies.
- Feelings are emotions that come from the core of our being and are essential parts of knowing our needs and taking care of ourselves.
- By going beneath the body hatred, diet thoughts, and disordered eating behaviors, we can learn to experience our feelings fully and therefore live fully.
- At the heart of every eating disorder is the desire to awaken, embrace our whole selves and experience our divinity.
- Recovery from an eating disorder is not a linear process. It requires any layers of learning that unfold uniquely, spontaneously and independently.
- Each obsessive thought and each disordered eating behavior is a thread that, if followed, can lead us back to our own truth.
- Complete recovery from an eating disorder is possible!
http://www.beyondhunger.org/index.html
© 2006 Beyond Hunger, Inc.