By Dina Hansen
Did you ever notice how much time and energy we spend thinking about why we are the way we are, why we don’t have what we want, and ruminating over the past? It makes me wonder…Why aren’t we asking, “What do I want instead?” If we’re not happy with what we have, shouldn’t we be spending more time and energy focusing on the actions that will get us there, and actually put them into motion.
When we focus a majority of our time and energy on looking at what we don’t have, our “faults” or our limitations, we tend to get more of the same. Have you ever noticed that? Yet when we change our focus, even just a little bit, we begin to see a shift in our reality. We actually begin to experience the positive changes we’re focused on. And for many of us, when that change occurs it is so unfamiliar that we become fearful of it and run back to where it’s comfortable. And that brings us back to our limiting thoughts.
When we give ourselves the opportunity to get comfortable with the slightest shift in our thinking, doors open before us that seemed locked before.
Let’s look at a friend of mine as an example. She was constantly telling me that she is sick and tired of feeling fat and tired all the time. She didn’t want to look at another bathing suit or try on clothes in a dressing room ever again! My friend has never noticed that she’s beautiful. Every time we go somewhere men can’t seem to avoid looking at her. She has a natural voluptuous and curvy figure that is very feminine. Yet in her eyes she’s “fat.” So I asked her, “What if you’re naturally curvaceous and not supposed to be waif-like? What if your body just needs to move more often and all you really need to focus on is eating foods that make you feel lighter and more energized, instead of such restrictive diets all the time?”
She thought about it and decided to give it a try, because she believed at this point, “What did I have to lose?” I saw her again a few weeks later and she had a new spring in her step and a twinkle in her eyes that I hadn’t seen in years. I asked her if she had a new boyfriend and she said no, but she felt like a new woman. She had been focused on spending more time finding ways to incorporate more exercise in her routine and eat the foods that made her feel light and energized. Best of all she lost five pounds without even trying!
Focus on Something Different to get Something Different
If we want something different, like better health, a more satisfying relationship, a more rewarding job or a more fulfilling spiritual life, we need to focus on the life we want to see, hear and feel in our experiences every day.
Then we simply do one top-priority activity each day toward creating that reality. This is no secret. It’s not even magic. It’s simply a conscious decision to stop watering negative seeds and giving ourselves permission to put into motion a life that deeply satisfies and fulfills us—one that is almost effortless in its ability to bring about a feeling of being whole, complete and centered every day.
I first realized this over 20 years ago when I began having seizures due to my diet and inability to handle stress. Often, I would find myself focused on being depressed, stressed out and completely anxious over “what if” thoughts going through my head. I would start eating sweets initially, then I would avoid food altogether. My breathing would become very short and centered in my chest. I would begin to feel dizzy or light headed, but would shrug it off and begin to eat more sweets. It was a vicious cycle. Then I had my wake up call. I began having seizures regularly. I was dismissed from college and examined by neurologists.
At that time no one had any answers for the cause of my seizures. I felt trapped in my body, in my brain, in my life. I wanted out. Eventually doctors told me it was “psychosomatic.” This meant that they believed it was all in my head. I got really annoyed and decided to “show them” that it wasn’t in my head! So I made a conscious decision to heal. And I did. I have not had a seizure in years, and my ability to handle stress has so dramatically changed that I am now able to help other women easily handle their stress/anxiety.
I simply changed my focus, from FEAR to FUN! I reframed the way I was interpreting the world around me, began eating more empowering foods that were right for me, and found a way to move that felt nourishing and restorative. It was that simple shift in my thinking that made all the difference.
What is it that you truly want to see, hear and feel in your life every day?
Changing the quality of our thoughts is part of being “Food Empowered” because food is more than what we put into our mouths. It’s also how we take in, digest and assimilate our thoughts, emotions, experiences and relationships every moment of the day. When we are Food Empowered, we have the ability trust ourselves to take action in choosing all the foods that truly nourish us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We have less stress, anxiety, physical pains or body image challenges and effortlessly flow with the beauty of life.
Where can you make a simple shift in your focus today? What actions are now a priority in creating your new reality?
Dina Hansen is a Food Empowerment Coach who believes food is more than what we put in our mouths. She leads individuals and intimate groups of women in transforming their relationship with food from one filled with stress and struggle to one filled with confidence, pleasure and satisfaction without restrictions, denial or guilt. Dina is a certified food psychology coach, board certified health counselor, stress management specialist and a board certified doctor of natural health. You can contact her at FoodEmpowermentCoach@gmail.com and read more about her at NaturallyNourishedWoman.com.