{"id":6692,"date":"2018-01-02T06:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T11:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/notstrictlyspiritual.com\/?p=6692"},"modified":"2022-11-01T16:25:10","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T20:25:10","slug":"cravings-reboot-whats-plate-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/notstrictlyspiritual.com\/cravings\/cravings-reboot-whats-plate-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Cravings Reboot: What’s on your plate in 2018?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bring on another new year. We are not afraid. Or are we?\u00a0So often, we enter the new year disappointed by what didn’t happen the year before and overcommitted to an unrealistic set of resolutions for the year ahead. Which starts a vicious cycle of being perpetually dissatisfied and overwhelmed. This is the year to say, “Enough.” As in, YOU ARE ENOUGH. Just as you are. Sure, you might want to make some changes, maybe even some “improvements,” but that doesn’t mean you aren’t beautiful as is. Don’t let the world convince you that you won’t be good enough until you’re thinner, richer, more popular, more successful, more something. That’s a losing battle, one designed to keep you spinning your wheels and searching for a kind of perfection that doesn’t exist, at least not outside of fairytales.<\/p>\n

During this first week of the new year, when everyone around you is making promises to themselves and others, resolve to be a beginner. That’s the only resolving we’ll be doing on this journey. Begin again. And again and again. Every day. Always. There is no shame in being a beginner. In fact, it’s the only way to grow. If you set a course and get pulled in the wrong direction, just straighten yourself out and start over. I guarantee that even when you think you’re starting from zero, you will be a few steps farther down the path than you were before. That’s how this works. With every beginning, we move a little bit closer to becoming who we truly are meant to be.<\/p>\n

Which is what brings us to where we are today:\u00a0Cravings<\/em><\/a>, Chapter 1: A Deeper Hunger. What is your deeper hunger for 2018? Surely it\u2019s more than taking off a few pounds. I\u2019m guessing that if you\u2019re anything like me, underneath the surface hunger for a slimmer waistline or stronger abs is a desire for inner peace, self-acceptance, and a transformation that will lead you to a place where you are not defined by the number on the scale or the size of your jeans.<\/p>\n

As we begin our journey,\u00a0some aspects may feel a little unusual since we\u2019re talking about eating habits and diet but we\u2019re not actually going on a diet. I\u2019m not going to give you a list of foods you can\u2019t eat or foods you must eat or an amount of exercise you should do. This is going to be a much deeper and interior journey than the typical kind of health plan. If you follow this path, your newly restored\u00a0relationship with food will\u00a0naturally bring things into balance because you won\u2019t be stuffing or starving based on feelings of inadequacy or because of stress in your work or home life or\u00a0because you\u2019re trying to fill a void of some kind. You\u00a0will be learning to move\u00a0mindfully through your meals, through life, doing things with attention and INtention, which is what sets this apart from any old diet. In order to do that, we have to drop down into our heart center\u00a0and make a spiritual connection.<\/p>\n

From Chapter 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we begin to connect prayer lives to physical lives, when we look beneath the surface, we often discover just how deeply intertwined the two are and how our food issues are wound around our spiritual needs and longings. We\u2019re not hungry for a carton of ice cream or a bag of chips. We\u2019re hungry for acceptance \u2014 from ourselves even more than from others \u2014 for love, for fulfillment, for peace. We\u2019re hungry for a life we think we don\u2019t deserve or can\u2019t have, for the person we know we can be if only we\u2019d give ourselves the chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften it is not the fear of failure that holds us back but the fear of success. We cling to the comfortable rather than step out into the possible. So we sit at home with a container of Cookies and Cream rather than take a chance on getting our heart broken again, or we down an entire bag of chocolate-covered pretzels rather than work on that resume that might get us out of a dead-end job. Or we eat cold pasta right from the refrigerator rather than sit down in silence and listen for the whisper of the Spirit speaking to our hearts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Practice for the week:<\/strong>\u00a0Rather than counting calories and fat grams, this week \"\"we\u2019re going to try\u00a0to add one\u00a0spiritual practice to our daily routine. It can be five minutes of silence and deep breathing at the start of the day, or a meditative walk out in nature, or daily Mass, or a few minutes with Scripture \u2014 whatever suits your spiritual style. Do your practice daily for one week, and at week\u2019s end, notice if there were any changes. How did it change your mood, attitude, habits, hungers, if it changed it at all? Was it hard to do? Can you keep it up, or even increase you amount of prayer time? (You\u2019ll find some questions to prompt reflection\u00a0at the end of Chapter 1, along with a meditation.)<\/p>\n

Journaling:<\/strong>\u00a0If you haven\u2019t already started a journal, now is the time to begin that as well. A simple spiral notebook is fine. Again, no calorie counting.\u00a0This is about noticing more than what\u2019s on your plate. Yes, jot down what you eat, but, just as important, write down how you feel on any given day \u2014 physically, emotionally, and spiritually. What\u2019s going on in your life that might be making you scrounge around in the pantry for cookies or stare into the fridge for a magical food that will make the pain going away?<\/p>\n

Prayer:<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019re looking for something to serve as a spiritual touchstone, spend some time with Psalm 139, which you\u2019ll find on pages 13-14 of Chapter 1 (or in your Bible). Focus on these words:<\/p>\n

\u201cI praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Can you see yourself as wonderfully made, loved unconditionally by God? This is our starting point. And our ending point. It can be hard work to get there, but we\u2019ll tackle it together, and share our struggles here in the comment section. I can tell you with all honesty that yesterday morning, as I faced my own backsliding, I did not feel wonderfully made. Not even close. But because I\u2019ve made this journey before, I know what that means: It\u2019s time to slow down, to take time for some self-care, to spend time with God, to shut out the noise of our chaotic world and recapture my balance, to become more mindful. (If you\u2019re struggling with mindfulness over multi-tasking, you can find a post on that topic\u00a0HERE<\/a>. We\u2019ll talk more on that topic in the weeks ahead.)<\/p>\n

Thank you for joining me on this journey. Feel free to ask questions, share stories, or start discussions in the comment section, and you can always find me on Facebook as well.<\/p>\n

Musical inspiration for the week ahead:<\/strong> Colours by Margo Rey<\/p>\n