It's taken me over two years to finish the book. As I printed out the final draft, proud as any new mother, I held the short stack of pristine white pages and wondered why it had taken me so long.
Within 48 hours, I had my answer. In retrospect, it's not so strange that I resisted finishing the manuscript. My life is about to become very different than it was. If changes to our own behaviors are scary to contemplate, external life changes can be even more difficult.
And that's what can happen when you decide to become more loving to yourself. Health is not something you can compartmentalize. You can't take care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and not see a ripple affect through every aspect of your entire life. If there's an especially unhealthy area in your life - let's say a dysfunctional relationship - those ripples can feel like shock waves.
According to the Angels, this is what keeps many of us in the same unhealthy place. For me, the intuition that finishing the manuscript was somehow going to force me to confront issues in my life I'd been preferring to not look at, kept me from finishing the manuscript.
The odd thing about all this is that I have no doubt that things will be better - healthier - in the end. But just like a newborn who wants to eat every two hours round the clock, fundamental changes - especially in the beginning can be unpleasant, exhausting and downright messy.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
the manuscript is in the mail!
Thank you to all who have participated on Facebook, and thanks for your patience while we finished up the final edits. I'll start posting more from the Angels later today!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Gentle thoughts about holiday indulgences
A few minutes ago, I just read a blog about a woman who's trying to lose weight and felt that by ordering a pizza, she was "sabotaging" her diet. How sad, I thought. Pizza's not a bad food at all - especially if you make it yourself with home-made tomato sauce and reasonable amounts of cheese. Surely there should be a way for this poor soul to have her pizza without guilt.
And of course, there is.
Oh, the holidays. For so many people, the mid-winter holiday season might be more aptly called the hell-idays, so fraught with stress, tight budgets, demanding relatives and cranky kids. Just as our mammalian bodies are telling us to quiet down and hunker in, just as the world around us is settling in for a long winters' nap, our calendars are telling us it's time to go, go, go.
No wonder so many of us are tempted to reach for the sweets and the treats.
After all, don't we deserve them?
Yes, say the Angels. You do.
The key is to understand what you really want and how much of what you really want is food.
Personally, my Thanksgiving isn't complete without a serving of buttery mashed potatoes slathered with my own fabulous gravy. I definitely have a roll (or two) and you can bet its smeared with butter - real butter, of course. And after everything is cleaned up and the guests are gone, I sit down with a slice of apple or pumpkin pie and a hot cup of my favorite coffee or tea.
And no, I don't worry about gaining weight or overeating. In fact, I've actually learned I can lose weight over the holidays, simply by following the Angel Guidelines and being aware of what I eat and how I feel. A portion the size of my fist or my palm is most often as much as I need OR want. I've learned other ways than scarfing down a tray of cookies to cope with the stress and to manage the extra work the holidays bring. I've learned other ways to nourish and nurture my inner child, but I NEVER deny that child a cookie or a treat. After a reasonably sized portion, however, if I find myself reaching for more, I've learned to gently put my hand down and consider whether I really want more food, or if I need more nourishment.
Nourishment comes in many forms. The Angels urge us to stop when we find ourselves reaching for the second or third helping and think about what it is we're really hungry for. Chances are, it's not that last piece of pie itself - it's what the pie means to our inner children or how the pie makes us feel.
The Angels urge us to consider what foods we REALLY enjoy, and which foods we might eat out of stress. If a slice or two of your favorite pizza is what you need to get you through, by all means, eat the slice or two of pizza. If Thanksgiving dinner means buttery carbs, eat them in reasonable measure with awareness. Focus on the enjoyment of the food - don't just shovel it down. Allow yourself to really wallow in the tastes and the textures of your favorite foods. Make sure you use the best quality ingredients possible and wherever and whenever possible, make your favorite treats for yourself with love.
The holidays don't have to be the hell-idays when it comes to eating well. The holidays don't have to mean instant weight gain or deprivation. Most of us CAN have a slice of cake and eat it with enjoyment. The Angels urge us to nourish our inner children with love and understanding...and that includes holiday treats.
And of course, there is.
Oh, the holidays. For so many people, the mid-winter holiday season might be more aptly called the hell-idays, so fraught with stress, tight budgets, demanding relatives and cranky kids. Just as our mammalian bodies are telling us to quiet down and hunker in, just as the world around us is settling in for a long winters' nap, our calendars are telling us it's time to go, go, go.
No wonder so many of us are tempted to reach for the sweets and the treats.
After all, don't we deserve them?
Yes, say the Angels. You do.
The key is to understand what you really want and how much of what you really want is food.
Personally, my Thanksgiving isn't complete without a serving of buttery mashed potatoes slathered with my own fabulous gravy. I definitely have a roll (or two) and you can bet its smeared with butter - real butter, of course. And after everything is cleaned up and the guests are gone, I sit down with a slice of apple or pumpkin pie and a hot cup of my favorite coffee or tea.
And no, I don't worry about gaining weight or overeating. In fact, I've actually learned I can lose weight over the holidays, simply by following the Angel Guidelines and being aware of what I eat and how I feel. A portion the size of my fist or my palm is most often as much as I need OR want. I've learned other ways than scarfing down a tray of cookies to cope with the stress and to manage the extra work the holidays bring. I've learned other ways to nourish and nurture my inner child, but I NEVER deny that child a cookie or a treat. After a reasonably sized portion, however, if I find myself reaching for more, I've learned to gently put my hand down and consider whether I really want more food, or if I need more nourishment.
Nourishment comes in many forms. The Angels urge us to stop when we find ourselves reaching for the second or third helping and think about what it is we're really hungry for. Chances are, it's not that last piece of pie itself - it's what the pie means to our inner children or how the pie makes us feel.
The Angels urge us to consider what foods we REALLY enjoy, and which foods we might eat out of stress. If a slice or two of your favorite pizza is what you need to get you through, by all means, eat the slice or two of pizza. If Thanksgiving dinner means buttery carbs, eat them in reasonable measure with awareness. Focus on the enjoyment of the food - don't just shovel it down. Allow yourself to really wallow in the tastes and the textures of your favorite foods. Make sure you use the best quality ingredients possible and wherever and whenever possible, make your favorite treats for yourself with love.
The holidays don't have to be the hell-idays when it comes to eating well. The holidays don't have to mean instant weight gain or deprivation. Most of us CAN have a slice of cake and eat it with enjoyment. The Angels urge us to nourish our inner children with love and understanding...and that includes holiday treats.
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