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Have you ever noticed that the better your life is going, the fewer food-related issues pop up?
I have.
When life is good, food becomes fuel that I need, not a crutch to support my destructive tendencies.
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When my work is going well, when I am involved in healthy relationships, when I am having fun and taking care of myself, when I am learning something new or planning a trip or reading a great book, the likelihood of stuffing myself with food much less likely.
This is the concept of ‘primary food’ in action, an idea introduced to me by Darshana, a holistic health counselor I had the pleasure of working with earlier this year. The stuff we eat is considered ‘secondary food’ and all the other areas of our life that support us like our friends, family, career, relationships, hobbies, pursuits, interests are ‘primary food.’
We are nourished by both kinds of ‘food.’ Often when things are out of sync with our ‘primary food,’ we turn to the food we eat as a means of trying to fill ourselves up physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is where overeating and unhealthy habits can take root.
So, when trouble crops up with our eating patterns and we start to overeat or crave unhealthy foods, we may need to look at the bigger picture to accurately assess what is really going on. If we are using food to medicate ourselves or as a form or entertainment, we may need to take a look at our overall life and satisfaction level to determine what needs to be addressed.
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Maybe it’s time to take a look at our career or our relationships. Or, maybe we need to find healthy forms of distraction until we feel strong enough to tackle something as challenging as this!
