[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/amindmedia/EDP002.mp3" artist="Escape Diet Prison " social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" ]

It is my firm belief that you cannot escape diet prison if you don't get to know yourself, get to know your core, your wants, desires and more.

You can't stop a destructive behavior if you're not opening up space for healthy habits, healthy expressions of who you are.

So, in this episode of Escape Diet Prison, I share tips and strategies that'll help you get to a place of profound freedom, deep understanding of yourself and free up space for healing to happen.

It’s time to begin a relationship with yourself again that lasts a lifetime, supports you, loves you and heals you inside and out.

1. Change your living situation

Thomas Moore, who is a former monk and clinical psychologist, says that our outer world (the possessions we have, the way we choose to decorate our bedroom, the pictures we hang on the wall etc.) reflects the condition of our inner lives.

And I agree.

The more clutter I have, the less relaxed I feel. The lighter the colors of my furniture, the freer I feel. The bigger the windows in my home, the clearer my mind. It’s all connected.

So, take a look around your house and do a body check to see how you feel in your home. If you feel negative feelings, it’s time to change something. Now, I don’t suggest you go ahead, sell your home and move across the world. Although, if that’s what you truly desire, DO IT. But even just a few adjustments can make a big difference in the way you feel, and thus in your relationship with your beautiful self.

Set yourself a challenge, look for the room or corner in your home that you like the least and begin taking out one piece a day that you’d rather live without. You can then either leave that spot empty or replace it with an object, a painting, a scent that inspires you and feels like it represents your core.

Repeat this process for a week or until your space feels good to you again and see how your relationship with yourself evolves.

2. Do The Work on yourself

Never heard of The Work by Byron Katie? Then, it’s about time you learn about it, my love.

I’ve stumbled upon Byron Katie’s work two years ago as I was going through a big self-transformation and Byron’s process helped me tremendously. My initial separation from my husband paired with a new bout of anorexia unleashed a whole slew of painful thoughts and beliefs that made me want to dig deeper into my inner demons. Through The Work, I was able to create space around my thoughts and replace the charge they carried with a more benign way of looking at myself and my situation.

I know I’m not alone with my painful doubts and we all carry around hideous reminders of our supposed shortcoming that keep us up at night.

You know the Top 10 list of your own limiting beliefs, don’t you? Some of my clients’ favourites are:

I’m not good enough.

I’m not smart enough.

I need to do more.

I need to lose weight.

I should work out more. 

I should dress up more often for my husband.

I am a failure as a mom. 

I’m failing myself.

People judge me for my weight.

I should be happier.

And on and on and on goes our mind. Yet, Byron Katie reminds us that our thoughts are just a random running commentary that doesn’t have to be true. We can easily defuse the pain these thoughts create by asking the following questions:

Is it true?

Can you absolutely know that it’s true?

How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?

Who would you be without the thought?

Then, we can turn the thought around, and find at least three genuine, specific examples for each turnaround.

Turn the thought to the Opposite.

Turn the thought to the Other.

Turn the thought to the Self.

Sounds too complicated? It isn’t. Let’s look at an example.

People judge me for my weight.

Is it true? Yes.

Can you absolutely know that it’s true? No.