How To Work Through Resistance When Changing Food Habits
Let's say you have a habit with food that is not bringing you joy. Every time you engage in it you feel bloated, uncomfortable, disappointed, frustrated, and confused. I want you to think about this food pattern you have right now and notice what it feels like in your body to just imagine playing out that food pattern.
This pattern with food is playing out for a reason. Every time you go to think about just changing the pattern you may notice resistance arise. Resistance is also there for a reason as well.
First, let's get curious...
What are your thoughts and beliefs around resistance?
Do you try to just push through the resistance?
Do you get angry at resistance when it shows up?
Do you judge yourself for being resistant to changing a pattern with your food and body?
Do you experience resistance as in the way of your goals?
I want to offer a new perspective around resistance. Imagine resistance as someone you hold dear to your heart. Perhaps this is a family member, a partner, a best friend, or a child. Now this person is telling you not to do something. You trust this person. You trust that this person is telling you this for a reason. You consider their perspective and perhaps hear them out on why they think you should or should not do something. After listening to them, you still get to make your own decision and because you trust them you take their points into consideration.
This is the same kind of relationship you can have with resistance. It is trying to protect you from something. Resistance is there to support you in feeling safe. We can think of a habit we have with food like a baby blanket. It is soothing, calming, and provides us with emotions and sensations we're looking to feel. Taking away that pattern with food is like taking away that baby blanket that is supporting you in so many different ways. Resistance comes up as your protector as it senses you're in danger even thinking about leaving your baby blanket behind.
So you get to hear your resistance out.
What does it have to say?
What is it trying to protect you from?
What does it sense, as your dear friend, you may not be yet ready to face?
When you want to transform a habit you have with food, we have to make resistance our friend and ally in the process. It is going to be there every step of the way saying, "Are you sure you don't want to do that?" You know the saying, "what we resist persists." This includes resisting paying attention to your own resistance. Welcome the resistance in. Thank it for showing up in trying to protect you. Let it be a reminder of just how much you care for yourself.
When we accept the presence of our own resistance, we step out of a battle with our resistance where its intensity can decrease. It just wants to feel heard and seen and acknowledged. Once we do that, you get to lay your choices out in front of you.
Your choices include:
Engage in the food habit anyway. (No judgment here. That is truly always an option you get to choose in an empowered way)
OR
Choose to satiate yourself in a different way.
You're either saying yes or no. And here's the thing. There is no right or wrong decision. If you say yes to engaging in your food habit and embracing your resistance, own your decision. Be proud of yourself for making a decision. Make this the most empowering experience to continue to engage in that food habit. Release any internal stories of what your mind is trying to tell you about what this means about you as a person.
And, if you say no and decide to satiate your physical and emotional hungers in new and different ways, be proud of yourself for that decision too. Acknowledge yourself for experimenting and trying something new and observe what happens after that new decision. Every decision is simply taking us down a different path. There are so many paths we can take in life. Your adventure with your body and food can be like one of those choose your own adventure books. You don't know where each decision will take you and there is always something to learn no matter what path you decide to take.