It’s almost Independence Day – a day to remember the principles of freedom that are the bedrock of the US’s identity. We have been so free, in fact, that our hard-won freedom is often taken as a given. Independence Day becomes yet another long weekend where you can buy a big-screen TV and a mattress for a screaming deal – albeit with fireworks.
When it comes to your relationship with food and your body, what does freedom mean to you? When I talk with my clients, it sometimes takes a while for them to realize that they have been trapped within restrictive cultural expectations. It feels so normal to hate your body; to feel frantic to lose weight; to assume life will get better if you’re just thinner; to have to watch what you eat because you’ll be judged (by yourself and others) if you don’t. It’s exhausting, and you may not even be aware of it…
Until you don’t have to worry about it anymore.
Not because you finally reach whatever goal weight where your life is magically supposed to be awesome. But because when you change your relationship with food and your body, things fall into place. It’s hard to recognize how much of your energy is taken up by worrying about changing your physical being – until you free up that energy to be spent elsewhere.
What would freedom look like in this context? Having a healthy relationship with food and your body gives you freedom from:
- Shame
- Obsession
- Secrets
- Keeping your true self hidden
- Being held hostage by the status quo
- Unrealistic expectations about beauty
- Self-hate
- Sitting on the sidelines
- Feeling like you’re not good enough
That’s just a partial list, with thanks to all the clients, friends, and colleagues who have shared their hearts.
Are you ready to declare freedom for yourself?
