The Power of Food

Is there a particular food(s) that has power over you?

For some people, if there is a bag of chips, cookies, chocolate—you get the idea—in the house, they lose all self-control and eat every last bite. The result is typically massive guilt and feeling really bad on many levels.

Or, perhaps a beverage has you hooked. Coffee, energy drinks, wine, etc. have the potential to keep you revved or relaxed, and result in really crummy sleep.  

Consider this: when you can’t say “NO” to something, it probably has power over you, rather than you having power over it.

When you give your power over to food or drink, it spills over into other areas of your life as well. There is not much we can control; yet most of us can choose what we eat–and how much we move.

This also applies to the excess time we spend on Facebook or other social media, watching television, and any other habit we have that keeps us from doing something more meaningful. I’m not talking about legitimate down time here; it’s the “Gee, an hour just flew by and I had planned to _________________.”(accomplish something else)

We all have stuff that gets in the way of us living our best. It’s just different stuff.

What’s holding you back? What’s taken your power?

For Christians, this Lenten season (which began on Ash Wednesday, March 6) is the perfect time to examine what it is that has a hold on us. The point is to make us more available to experience a deeper relationship with God by paring away the “stuff” that gets in the way.

Some people choose to give up chocolate, ice cream, alcohol, meat, sugar, even cauliflower—ok, that’s an easy one for me because I don’t eat it anyway.  

Here’s an idea: practice letting go of whatever you feel has a real grip over your life. These forty days of Lent leading up to Easter offer intentional time to work on being your best you, by creating a different norm.

It’s about doing something that has a long-lasting positive impact, rather than doing something just to do something. And it doesn’t necessarily have to do with food.

Figure out ONE thing that would significantly impact your life, and go for it.

For me, it’s time to clear out space and let go of distractions that I allow to creep into my day. (The distractions have power over me. ENOUGH!) Creating blocks of time to focus on one thing will be of great benefit. For example: I set a timer and spend 50 minutes working on a project then take a 10-minute break. The break may be Facebook time, walking my dog, intentionally doing nothing.

I’m here if you could use some help around your stuff. I’m only an email away.

Powerfully yours,
Carol

“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” ― Steve Maraboli