Andrea has been coaching with me for a few months now. She already has overcome a lot; for example she has stopped gaining weight.
She has sorted out her self-care needs and wants very badly to follow her new lifestyle plan. The problem is she isn’t following through. She can’t seem to make herself do it.
She wants her behavior to be different, but it isn’t.
We talk a lot about why she’s struggling, what she can do differently, what resources would help her, and where she is going wrong.
Mostly, she is trying to fix herself.
“What is wrong with me?” she laments. “Why can’t I make myself stop eating sugar?”
In recent months, I have begun to use a coaching technique that helps people move from thinking their way into a better way of living (which on its own doesn’t seem to be enough) to finding out what feels right, and building a visceral understanding of what it feels like to emotionally and physically align with one’s deepest desires.
I have found that staying in my head, and living in judgment, can be a prison. Feeling and experiencing what my soul requires — and finding and embracing my essence has been a path to freedom.
My client doesn’t want to feel her feelings or find her essence. I get that. Feelings can be frustrating, scary, stressful, and overwhelming.
However, feeling into change and working at your soul level is a powerful path you can follow, moving from frustration to fulfillment.
You don’t have to travel that path alone.
Sometimes healing and wellness isn’t a number on the scale.
Sometimes healing and wellness is the peace and comfort of self-acceptance, forgiveness, and deep compassion. It is a willingness to nurture your soul.
If thinking our way through our challenges was the “cure” we’d all be living perfect WLS lives. As scary as it can be, feeling our way through our challenges is where the peace, joy, and freedom can be found.
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From Katie Jay’s Small Bites newsletter. Subscribe and get your complimentary report: The 21 Most Common Mistakes People Make after Bariatric Surgery at www.BariSupport.com. © 2022, Katie Jay. All rights reserved.