Permission Granted: Feel your feelings!

When we feel the urge to overeat, it is because we are avoiding feeling our feelings. People find escapes in a variety of ways. Some may be "healthier" for our bodies, such as exercise, watching T.V., having sex, going out with friends, etc. Others may be less healthy, such as drinking alcohol, doing drugs, overeating, eating sugar, smoking, etc. Regardless, an escape is something that you do in order to avoid feeling your feelings.

Our feelings have different energies. Some feel really nice in our bodies, such as the emotion of joy, happiness, silliness, playfulness, light-heartedness or eagerness. Whereas other emotions have a vibration and energy that does not feel good in our bodies, such as fear, depression, sadness or regret. These uncomfortable emotions have a slower vibrational frequency, and the more enjoyable emotions have a high vibrational frequency. The vibration of our soul is a very high vibration and so when we feel these high emotions, they resonate with our true selves. On the other hand, when we feel a lower emotion, it is discordant with who we really are, and so we feel that disconnect and it in turn feels uncomfortable.

It is helpful to understand that emotions are just energy in motion. Repressed emotions (what may drive some of us to overeat) are stagnant energies that we are pushing down and not expressing. You can imagine that the food we are eating in a compulsive manner is an attempt to literally shove our emotions down, so that we can avoid feeling them. This is an unconscious action, of course. We are not consciously trying to self-sabotage ourselves. However, even if we know we are "escaping" and avoiding our feelings in this way, it is still a craving that can be hard to stop UNTIL we feel our feelings.

So how do we feel our feelings? Especially when we have numbed ourselves so much that we do not even know what we feel? I will share with you all a method that i have used on my own journey to feel my feelings, and hope that it will resonante with many of you as well!

When you notice yourself craving food (beyond the natural need to nourish yourself) then fill up a water bottle, grab a journal and a pen, and head outside. Try to find a tree to sit against in a completely secluded area: in the woods, in your backyard. The key is to find somewhere in nature where no one can see you, and you have complete privacy to feel your emotions. If you prefer being inside, and have privacy there, that is fine. However, I have found that being surrounded by nature is incredibly grounding and allows you to feel safe enough to allow your feelings to arise. Now you have given yourself the space to breath and allow (while also removing yourself from your kitchen that is full of distractions!)

So now you're sitting against your chosen tree. You may feel a little silly, but say to yourself, “it is safe to feel now. i give myself complete permission to feel whatever feeling is ready to arise." Then just sit and observe what comes up. Allow any thoughts, feelings or emotions to arise, repeating to yourself "it is safe to feel now. i give myself complete permission to feel whatever feeling is ready to arise." If you have used Emotional Freedom Technique in the past, this can be helpful as well. (I will be touching on this technique in future posts for those who are unfamiliar with the technique).

If your repressed emotion is sadness, you may start to cry and feel really sad without knowing the cause. If the emotion is anger, you might start feeling overheated, and your pulse may quicken, and you may feel irritated without reason. This is good, you are allowing yourself to feel the emotion! Allow it to flow, remind yourself it is safe to feel in this space. Observe the energy with a sense of curiosity and compassion.

Often the emotion will build and become really intense, and you may want to run back inside and grab a chocolate bar! Instead, just acknowledge the emotion as simply being an energy that is happy to be expressing itself at last! It may build and build, and then at a certain point it will start to release. Often after releasing in this way you will feel an incredible sense of clarity and relief, and you may have insights come up in the form of thoughts (which you can write down in your journal if you choose to do so).

In releasing this stagnant energy, you are bringing in a higher and lighter vibration into your being. We are primarily vibrational beings who get to experience life in these beautiful physical bodies. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, and part of the human experience is the beautiful opportunity to FEEL emotions.

May this process bring you even more peace and self-love on your unique journeys. As always I am sending you all much love and light :-)