In today’s episode of Balance with Sam, I share a coaching call with one of my clients (for the sake of the podcast, we’ll call her “Amanda”). Amanda shares with me the struggles she has with persevering with her food journey when she doesn’t see or feel an immediate difference. We discuss using breathwork as a tool, being in tune with your body and how breaking the journey down into priorities can help it seem more achievable.

Not seeing immediate results is something we all struggle with. As Amanda puts it, “How much longer do you need to do this work?” For example, breathwork is an amazing tool for emotional eating. It allows you to calm yourself, especially if you are in a heightened state of fear or anxiety, and consciously brings you back into your body. But it takes time to see the results of it. It’s underwhelming to begin with but it’s the continued repetition using breathwork as a practice that will teach your body to change its response. The same goes for your emotional eating journey.

Top Takeaways

If something brings out a fear or anxious response, the longer you avoid looking at it, the bigger and more scary it becomes. The only way out of that is to just take ownership and accept it. Do your breathwork. Tell yourself “I’m here. I am alive. I am safe”. It's acknowledging the fear that happens and then breathing your way through it. Breathwork allows you to use your body to move the emotion, instead of your head.

All the steps in the journey might feel overwhelming. The working out, the eating, the breathing. The last thing you want is for it to feel like a chore. Remember, you’re creating a toolbox and you can make a conscious choice in those moments. If we aren't aware in time, our body will just default to the autopilot of “I'm going to eat or drink” unless you make the choice to think “Oh wait, I have other tools in my toolbox.”

Prioritize being mindful of your calorie intake and take time to learn when your body is actually physically hungry rather than emotionally or mentally hungry. When we start getting a healthier relationship with hunger and fullness, like when to eat or when to stop, that is when we can turn back inward and listen to our body. Our body is way smarter than our head at making food decisions.

Find what your non-negotiables are. It might be just doing some movement throughout the day. Or doing 2 minutes a day of breathwork. Something doable. Something is better than nothing and you lift up those around you by just being you and by taking care of you. Set boundaries and nurture yourself.