At various points in a woman's eating and body journey, she must get very honest with herself and decide what she is willing and not willing to do at that stage in her life. Life circumstance plays a large part. Marriage. Children. Break-ups. Starting a new career. Illness. Going back to school. A creative venture. Entering any new phase of life. Again, whatever stage in life, a woman must decide for herself what she is willing and unwilling to do. For example, there's the woman who finally decides she's no longer willing to try and force herself to be hungry all the time but IS willing to put in the effort to get enough protein in to regulate her appetite. Or the woman who decides she's not willing to give up sugar entirely as she's done so many times (unsuccessfully) in the past, but IS willing to keep sugar intake to about 20g/day. Admitting one's own truth, facing the facts, practicing the power to choose and make decisions for oneself, and accepting the consequences, is a sign of growth and maturity. There's power there. It's a tough journey for women who are forever on the fence, often feeling they "should" do something, but can't seem to move forward with anything... If you aim to connect with your own sense of internal power, consider the following examples:
Doing something because you say so
Deciding how you're going to spend your time
Turning inside and making decisions for yourself
Trusting how you see things
Saying what you need/Advocating for your needs
Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. writes on one facet of the Heroine's Journey: Making a choice. She says, "To take the responsibility of making the choice is crucial and not always easy. What defines the heroine is that she does it." There's a power in choice and decision... <><><><><> To all psychologically-inclined, lovers of learning and personal growth, next month I'll be teaching my Shadow Work class (after a 3-4 year hiatus!). Details here. Do join me! Also save the date for January's 1-Day Eating Psychology retreat on Saturday, January 7th.