Our Relationship with Food and Self

Our relationship with food is similar to the relationship we have with ourselves and others. If you're not sure what I mean by this, let's start by taking a moment to explore some aspects of what your relationship with food might look like.

• How do you go about purchasing your food? Do you drag yourself to the grocery store, complain that you don't know what to get, feel like shopping is taking up precious time, it's expensive, you're dieting and food feels like the enemy, you don't feel like cooking? Or, do trips to the grocery store or the farmer's market feel like an adventure where you find yourself nourished by the colors and smells of the delicious food, sparking your imagination for creating a meal that will delight your palate and your senses? Chances are you're somewhere on the spectrum between these two.
• Once you get your food home, does preparing a meal for yourself or your family feel like a burden, something that you do because you need to eat and the easier and faster the better? Or, is preparing a meal akin to a spiritual experience? Again, you'll likely fall between the two.
• When you sit down to eat your meal, if you do in fact sit down, do you rush through it so you can move onto so something more important? Do family members join together at mealtime, or is it a free for all? Do you sit and enjoy your meal taking small bites of food and savoring each mouthful, engaging in pleasant conversation or thoughts.

How you are in relationship with food is of course a personal choice. But when you view your relationship with food as a mirror reflecting your relationship with yourself, it can create a powerful opening for self exploration.So now take a moment to look at your relationship with yourself. Do you find taking time for yourself feels like an indulgence or a waste of time? Is self-care a back-burner item? Do you live a fast-paced lifestyle where multi-tasking is normal and life feels like a never ending treadmill? Are you dissatisfied with the present moment and look to the future for something better? How do your responses correspond with your observations regarding your relationship with food?
Life is one learning experience after another. Using your relationship with food as a tool for personal observation provides an awareness that is unique to you and very powerful.
What can you learn about yourself that is reflected in your relationship with food?
In love and light,
Deborah