How to Feel Safe During Uncertainty

Are you afraid about what tomorrow will bring? Are you changing your lifestyle out of fear or staying awake at night tossing and turning?

Whether tormented about what's going to happen, worried over losing something, or just uncomfortable with change, many of us are simply trying to get through the day without letting the fear consume us. It's like the ground has been pulled out from underneath us. We just don't feel safe.
 

If you've been living with this kind of fear, here are some tips to help you feel safer:

FORMULAS
Unfortunately, there are no mechanical devices or man-made formulas that are 100  percent successful, 100 percent of the time. So, instead of depending on something that might miss the mark, put your faith in your "intuition." A quick definition of "intuition" is a "gut instinct," "feeling," "sense," or a "knowing." "Intuition" has a way of automatically giving us an accurate reading of all aspects of the situation and then directing us out of harm's way. And, it NEVER fails.
 

THE FUTURE
If we feel unsafe, most likely we are focusing the majority of our attention on what's going to happen to us in the future. We spend time trying to figure out possible upcoming situations, their outcomes, the effects they will have and what systems to put into action to avoid them. But, in actuality, things almost never turn out quite like we thought they would. Rather than making yourself sick with fear, praying that you've thought of every possible situation that could happen and the right solution, focus on the "now." Not only does staying in the moment take the fear away, but it allows us an awareness of things that we would not necessarily pick up otherwise.
 

OUTSIDE EVENTS
These days our world is changing so quickly it's easy to let outside events and situations take control of our lives and run the show. We think we are at their mercy and cannot do anything about them. One of the ways to stop events from taking control is to sit down, get quiet and have a heart-to-heart conversation with your "self." Some of the questions you could ask are:

• Is this event going to change my life in any way? How?

• If so, will I be O.K.?

• Do I do anything differently? If so, what?

 
If the answers caused more fear, you probably didn't wait for your "self" to respond. Real safety comes from tapping into a power greater than ourselves - a power that knows every fact about the past, present, and the future ... a power that knows how to provide an outcome where everyone wins. There is not one person alive who doesn't have the ability to tap into this power. The question is, "Do we want to use it?"
 
 
If you need help with feeling safe, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

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Is Losing Weight Becoming Too Much of an Uphill Battle?

You may think just shedding those extra pounds would be satisfying. Sure it would be nice to fit into smaller clothes and be able to cross your legs without a great deal of pain. But the question is, "If getting rid of that excess fat was so satisfying, then why do we gain it back?"

The Following Reviews what Wanting to Lose Weight Really Means:

• You revolve your life around things you think you "need" to do, like following the latest diet, counting fat grams, reading food labels, weighing food, exercising, taking pills, or even preparing for surgery. Not only do these tasks take lots of your energy, but they also steer you away from doing things that give you pleasure and you thoroughly enjoy.

• Your thoughts focus on what you think you "should" look like. This leaves little room for accepting and loving yourself the way you are.

• You spend time comparing yourself with others or yesterday's weight with today's. Comparison results in either feeling superior or inferior, neither of which is very pleasant.

• You put many things in your life on hold until you are satisfied with your looks. Waiting to lose weight delays happiness now.

• You're self-absorbed, focusing on "How can I bring attention to myself?" This leads you away from focusing on expressing love, and "What can I give?"

• You might buy into the latest research and peer pressure, not letting your intuition or gut instincts be the decision maker.

 
Now, take a moment and look deep inside. Don't you really want to be released from sacrifice, guilty feelings, and the constant obsession about food? Wouldn't it be nice to not fret over what to eat, when, and how much? Or no longer fear what food might do to you if you eat it? Essentially, wouldn't you rather be happy?
 
We have to get to the point that we are so exhausted from changing our behavior and waiting for that perfect figure, that we become willing to change the way we think. The first step is to exchange what we want from losing weight to wanting to be happy. And only when that happens, do we allow ourselves to stop fighting the uphill battle, and begin to find peace.
 
If you need help with changing your relationship with food, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

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Use Meditation to Improve Your Relationship with Food

After the holidays, many of us come through a period of sugar highs, feeling bloated, tighter clothes and most disturbing of all, that daily "guilt." Year after year it's the same: starting in mid-November and gaining momentum as the weeks pass by, we involve ourselves in an extremely painful relationship with food. It's the kind of relationship where we sacrifice foods we enjoy, feel guilty when we "give in," or become constantly obsessed about when, what, and how much do we get to eat next.

A Nothing Is Impossible™ for Weight Loss participant struggled with a painful relationship with food ever since she can remember. "It seems like the holidays intensify the battle," She said in one of our group coaching sessions. "I try to keep away from forbidden foods, but feel deprived when I do. When I can't resist, I feel guilty."

Many of us wrestle with these same issues. After a month and a half of this escalating torture, we resolve that this craziness has got to cease. Somehow we've got to get a grip and stop this food frenzy.

Then, like every year in the past, we begin to fix the pain in our relationship with food by trying to restrain ourselves even more. We buckle down harder and enforce our will-power, by limiting what we eat, how much we eat or when we eat it. This is trying to control the pain in our relationship with food, not end it.

Approach the food problem differently. Instead of controlling the problem, release it. Learn to let go of the constant battle between sacrifice and guilt. Mediation techniques can release us from the pain in this relationship.
 

Here are some weight loss suggestions:

SLOW DOWN WHEN EATING
We often believe SPEED is everything. The faster we can put it down, the quicker we can get some more. It's like we're on automatic pilot, not noticing much about the event at all. This is true, especially when we find ourselves bingeing on our favorite chocolate ice cream. The amount and speed are a lot more important than the experience.

Instead, Try to Slow Down Enough to Enjoy the Event. Consider These:

• Take time to relax before eating.

• Take a drink between bites.

• Chew the food completely.

 
CHANGING FOCUS
How many times have we thought about everything else but what we're doing at the moment. Eating is no exception. We catch ourselves concentrating on how to solve the drama of the day, judging what others should be doing, or even plotting what we will eat for our next meal.

The object is to enjoy the moment, the experience of eating. In other words, concentrate on eating when you're eating. Some ideas to get in the "moment" are:

• Eliminate distractions, such as the TV.

• Make an effort to taste every bite, noticing how each food tastes different. Some might be bitter, sweet, bland, or spicy.

• Focus on one bite at a time. Notice the combination on your fork or the size of the bite.

 
WATCHING THOSE THOUGHTS
When we place importance on controlling the pain with food and not releasing it, we put very little attention to our thoughts. In order to get rid of this nagging misery, we have to look at what we're thinking. Many times we keep painful problems in order to punish ourselves, to vent anger, or numb what's really troubling us.

Some Meditation Techniques for Releasing the Pain Include:

• Begin to recognize the thoughts right before going to the refrigerator, while eating, and immediately after. Don't judge them, just recognize what they are and let them pass through.

• Then, as soon as possible, return to focusing on being in the moment. This could include concentrating on preparing the food with love, enjoying the event of eating, or noticing how a full stomach feels.

 
OCCUPYING THE MIND WITH AFFIRMATIONS
Most of us don't realize that our thinking is the source of all our pain. Every thought causes an effect.
After letting those limiting thoughts pass through, we can replace them with thoughts that are unlimited and loving.
Some recommendations for weight loss affirmations might be:

• I now prepare and eat my food with love.
• Love fills me up, not food.
• I no longer punish myself with food.

These simple meditation techniques improve our relationship with food by enriching our eating experience and increasing our spiritual awareness.
 
If you need help with changing your relationship with food, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

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21 Signs You Have a Good Relationship

If you’ve read my previous blogs you can recognize the signs you’re in a bad relationship. And, hopefully, if you’re in a relationship now you can identify more than a handful of these hints that signal you’re in a good relationship. 
 
When you…

• Look forward to seeing or talking with your partner.

• Laugh and act playful together.

• Feel completely relaxed in their presence.

• Often make eye contact.

• Don’t depend on what your partner says or does to be happier.

• Both have learned to give and receive affection.

• Enjoyalone time with your partner.

• Feel sexy.

• Are not afraid to spend time apart.

• Take time to express heartfelt “thank you’s.”

• Make it a practice to follow your inner guidance or intuition.

• Go beyond small talk sharing your fears, ideas, and dreams.

• Feel connected and satisfied with the relationship.

• Have gone beyond misunderstandings.

• Like the person you have become in the relationship.

• Hardly ever use your partner as a topic of conversation with others.

• Realize that good relationships don’t require sacrifice and compromises are not necessary and can actually break down the relationship.

• Have no problem forgiving and sometimes even forgetting it ever happened.

• Lose track of time when you are together.

• Focus on giving and receiving when making love.

• Make it a habit to focus on the things going right in the relationship, not the  problems. What we focus on expands.

 
Maybe you selected one or two or even a dozen ways to improve your relationship from the above list.  And maybe you also picked up on what many of these good relationship signs have in common.  Did you? It’s that we can have a profound impact on the joy and love we give and get from our relationships simply by shifting our perspective and taking little actions to support that.
 
If you need help on how to have a good relationship, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

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Helpful Weight Loss Affirmations

Over the years of working with life coaching clients and dealing with my own weight loss issues, I’ve gathered and developed several weight loss affirmations or mantras.
 

Here Are Some Helpful Weight Loss Affirmations to Use...

• I have no use for excess weight any longer.

• I prepare and eat my food with love.

• Every day, I'm getting happier and healthier.

• I now use food for healing myself, not hurting myself.

• I no longer center my life around food.

• Today, I let nothing stress me out.

• By taking time to love myself, I no longer delay my happiness.

• Today, I focus on being happy, not eating.

• As I forgive, weight disappears.

• I love the way I look.

• I now use food as a vehicle of love.

• It's easy for me to eat healthy.

• I now enjoy exercising.

• The more I move my body, the better I feel.

• Today, I let loving thoughts fill my mind.

• Losing weight is easy for me.

• I no longer use my body to keep love away.

• I am ready. My time is now to end this weight problem.

• I love and accept myself just the way I am.

• I no longer use food to punish myself.

• No one has ever hurt me in anyway. My body is proof of that.

• Health is a decision. I choose it now.

• I no longer eat to stuff down what bothers me.

• I have nothing to gain by attacking my appearance.

• I no longer attack myself and others by eating.

• I now ask God to fill me up, not food.

If you can think of others, let me know.

Other related blogs on affirmations are…

What are Affirmations?
The Advantages of Doing Affirmations
Ineffective Way to do an Affirmation

 
If you need help using affirmations, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

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