Mix things up and break the cycle!
Hey there, dear one!
Welcome back to our weekly newsletter - The Path to Empowered Eating.
I’ve been thinking about what I can share with you to help shake things up a bit and break those habits that sneak in and lead to bingeing.
You know those moments when you feel like you’re on autopilot?
By mixing things up and connecting back to our bodies, we can disrupt those automatic responses and start to reclaim our power back.
Let’s talk about Pattern Interrupts! This is still one of my go-to strategies for shifting my mindset and breaking free from any habitual responses.
Picture it as a gentle nudge to wake you up and bring you back to the present moment.
The body leads, and the mind follows.
Here are some ideas to help you create your own Pattern Interrupt or try out these suggestions that resonate with your body:
- Take a walk: Step outside and connect to the earth underneath your feet, even if it’s just for five minutes. Feel the fresh air fill your lungs and allow the change of scenery to shift your focus.
- Splash cold water on your face: Feel the refreshing shock of cold water. Let it awaken your senses and ground you back in the moment, helping to ease those intense urges.
- Try a short breathing exercise: Pause and drop into your body. Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, visualise any tension melting away. (Find my Breathe and Squeeze Technique below—it's a quick way to reconnect!)
The Breathe and Squeeze Technique:
- Take a deep breath in and hold it, feeling your chest expand.
- Tense every muscle in your body for 5 seconds, from your toes to the muscles of your face. Squeeze everything tightly and hold it!
- Release all your muscles as you exhale through your mouth, letting go of any tension through a BIG sigh. Let any spontaneous noises come out, too.
- Rest for 3 seconds, then repeat 3-5 times. You’ll find this process takes under 2 minutes and leaves you feeling awake!
Now it’s your turn to reflect:
When I feel the urge to binge, I will interrupt my habitual response by…
Think back to what has resonated with you in the past. Do you have any strategies that have helped you shift those urges before? If not, try one of the suggestions above.
Challenge yourself to create 3 Pattern Interrupts: What specific strategies can you imagine that will snap you out of the autopilot and ground you back in your body? Can you create different ones for different situations?
The next time a binge urge arises, try out your new strategy and step away from the triggering environment.
Remember to drop into your body and practice riding the wave of discomfort with calm and grace. Nothing lasts forever.
Overcoming binge eating takes time, and that’s perfectly okay.
Progress doesn’t have to look perfect, it’s about embracing every step along the way.
I know how easy it is to slip into that binge-trance, where we become disconnected from our bodies and lose ourselves in thought.
But a Pattern Interrupt can be your anchor, a way to bring you back to the here and now and pull you out of the autopilot mindless behaviour.
I’m cheering you on with every step you take!
Together, we’ll keep moving forward, one moment at a time.
Please share with me below what pattern interrupt you're going to try this week. I would love to hear!
All the love & strength,
Emi Souza
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