barefootlifeblog.com: What I Learned from Reading Women, Food, and God

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What I Learned from Reading Women, Food, and God

Reading and re-reading, rather. My revelations have been large and small, and immediately helpful and applicable to my life. Lately, I have been feeling overwhelmed and over-scheduled. I realized from reading this book that I have been using food to feel calmer. Eating lunch watching my favorite TV show was the highlight of my day because I got to do what I wanted to do, not live up to commitments I’d made to others. I have also struggled lately with low attendance at some of my classes, and have found myself feeling frustrated. I became aware that I have been eating to feel more in control as well. The downside is that while I’m eating I feel great and happy, but I don’t stop when my body is nourished. I overeat. Then I feel too full and uncomfortable AND overwhelmed or out of control once again.

This book helped me to be able to notice why I am eating when I am no longer hungry and eating things that are not nourishing my body. What I discovered when I was able to notice these feelings of overwhelm and loss of control was that I could make changes in my life or my approach to my life to address them, instead of avoiding them with food. I discovered that food is just a short term solution, and that there are many better long term solutions. I cut back my teaching schedule to give myself more space; I am working on adjusting my expectations of attendance and re-connecting to dancing for myself versus others, which I had lost contact with.

Already I am beginning to feel better, more relaxed. And I am playing with a couple of the eating guidelines in the book – Eat only when you are hungry and Eat what your body wants – those alone are revolutionary for me. My body actually DOES know when it is hungry and satisfied – it sends me sensations to let me know.

I realize that this is a process and I am not in a hurry to explore it fully. I want emotional and food sobriety, and I now know I can use my relationship with food to deepen my relationship with God. Which brings me the ultimate in fulfillment, more than a cupcake…