Have you ever met a young person who’s growing, and who eats so much it seems like they must have a hollow leg where they are hiding their food?
Do you ever feel like you are filling a hollowness or emptiness inside with food?
This happened to me just now.
I had gotten up to simply get another box of tissues for on my desk. Then I had the thought, I could use some chocolate right now. Yet, I just had lunch… do I really need anything more to eat?
Then I began to wonder, what part of me, or what energy is it inside of me or even around me that wants to be fed?
And that took me on a roller coaster of exploration.
You see, my rational mind had no desire for chocolate. And even my mouth and taste buds weren’t really feeling it either, and yet that whisper of an idea to look for chocolate came from somewhere.
I decided to take just a few minutes to investigate further.
I’ll share with you what I discovered, but first, let me review with you 3 places to look:
Your Mind: Is it your mind searching for something, a distraction? If yes- why?
Your Stomach: Are you truly hungry, and need something to eat? Ask your stomach And if yes, is that really the choice you want to opt for… it could be that it’s that time of the month (or it’s quickly approaching) and your body is letting you know it needs more iron. You could reach for a nice trail mix with cacoa nibs, or perhaps simply take an iron supplement to satisfy your body’s needs.
Somewhere else in your Body: Where in your body do you feel this desire for chocolate (or whatever the urge is for)? Once you identify it, ask it what it needs? If it’s attention or a boost, perhaps you can satisfy that need in another manner, like going outside and getting some fresh air.
If it’s scared about something, then it speaking up now, could be a sign for you to invest a few minutes of time processing this energy so you can better move forward with your projects. It could reveal something for you to clear up, that will help prevent more self-sabotaging on a bigger project.
When I check-in I can feel that the part of me “craving chocolate” is on my right hand side.It’s a distraction from doing the project I’m currently working on. Part of that energy is scared. Afraid of being seen. Afraid of getting it wrong. Afraid of messing up. Afraid that everything I put in place is not going to work properly and create a big mess and my reputation will be tarnished… it would just be best for me to not bother finishing that project, and instead I can continue to hide (wow! What an incredible insight).
So.. now I’m going to breathe in to that space, that part of me that is afraid and reassure it and let it know that it’s ok. It’s safe. Not to worry if everything isn’t perfect. This is a learning curve, if it isn’t quite right, we’ll fix it and try again, but it is indeed time to move forward. The world needs to hear my message. And me playing small won’t help anyone.
A few more reassuring breaths…a few releases (I can feel them physically shaking my whole body), and I’m present and focused again.
As you can see, from my experience, taking a pause to understand where the inspiration for the indulgence comes from will help you to be clear on who you are being and how you are showing up. I’ve allowed myself to become present to the energy of fear. I have identified how the fear can show up. I understand what the fear is, and that it’s not real. And I managed to clear it with just a few deep breaths.
Doing this practice regularly will help you to prevent procrastination, feel happier and be more productive.
Please give this a try and tell me what you notice.