For this part of the series we are focusing on the thoughts we have, their impact on our choices and some practical tools to encourage positive self-care, in relation to food choices and eating habits.
Could you identify what usually influences your food choices?
Do you find yourself using food as comfort?
Do you eat differently, depending on who you are with?
What you need for this article:
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We have created a free PDF download of the worksheet to accompany this article:
This article is written in a way to provoke thoughts about your food choices, as well as highlight any external influences that might not have been so obvious to you. This is an interactive article that requires you to answer questions about your own situation, according to you. This isn't about weight loss or a "diet", it is about tuning into why, how and what influences our eating patterns.
Try to answer the following questions without over thinking your answer, just write the first thing that comes into your mind. There is no right or wrong answer. This is an exercise for you, and is not about giving the answers that you think you should write.
We have written this exercise in relation to food, however this could apply to anything you like.
Exercise #1 - Values
Before you can begin to make a self-care plan, you need to focus in on what matters to you.
A useful activity to do when addressing any area of self-care, is to remind ourselves what our values are.
Core values are what an individual considers to be of highest priority in their life, and are (ideally) the driving force behind our behaviours and the choices that we make. It is, however very common to lose focus of these values and for behaviours to be influenced by thoughts or beliefs that are in fact not inline with a person's core values / their fundamental beliefs.
Here is a list of some values to get you started:
Honesty | Self-compassion | Humour |
Integrity | Caring | Intuition |
Wisdom | Forgiveness | Acceptance |
Autonomy | Spirituality | Fun |
Loyalty | Success | Fairness |
Humility | Compassion | Goodness |
Kindness | Accountability | Selflessness |
Perseverance | Openness | Insightfulness |
Respect | Gratitude | Optimism |
Courage | Generosity | Calmness |
Using the list above, write down your own list of core values. It can be as long as you like!
When you have written your list, narrow it down to 10 values.
Now reduce the list even further to your top 6 values.
Using a highlighter pen, identify your top 3 values.
Think about your 3 values.
Are you living a life in alignment with your values?
We will come back to these 3 words after the next exercise.
Exercise #2 - Barriers
In order to discover more about your eating habits and choices, you need to consider the barriers that get in the way of change.
What gets in the way of you focusing on your own self-care? (What you consider as self-care is personal to you, but for this exercise we are focusing on food and eating habits)
Write 3 things that immediately come to mind.
Now go back to the list of 3 values that you wrote in exercise 1. Write these next to the 3 barriers that you have.
Is there a way that you can connect your barriers and your values? You can try to do this by creating positive statements that link 1 barrier and 1 core value, for example:
"I am going to make time for self-compassion"
"I am not going to let my work get in the way of allowing me to practice self-kindness"
In the final exercise you need to keep your 3 statements in mind, and begin to focus on how to implement your self-care eating plan.
Exercise #3 - Self care and eating choices
Ask yourself these questions. Remember not to over think the answers, just write down what comes into your mind:
Why do I need to eat?
What feels different about my food choices when I am sad?
Do I make different food choices depending on who I am with?
List 5 words to describe/explain why you want to focus on eating for self-care.
Using these 5 words, write 5 (short) sentences describing how/why you will practice eating for self-care.
These final sentences are your personal self-care reminders!
Your values and your personal sentences are reminders of the importance self-care has in your life. Make time to look after yourself. Slow down and really think about the choices you make.
If you ever find yourself going off-track with food choices and need a reminder, ask yourself:
Am I hungry?
Do I really want to eat this particular food?
How will I feel after I eat this?
Can I make a wiser choice as part of my self-care?
If you have found any of these tips useful, please comment below, we love to hear from you! Feel free to share this article with anyone you think might benefit.
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