Somewhere early on in my eating journey
I invited meanness to my table
I put judgment on my plate
At the end of every meal
I put
Should’ve
Would’ve
Could’ve
On every forkful of food
And every night before I went to bed
I fed myself a few bites of
Shame
And
Repentant plans for tomorrow
All of it tasted so bitter,
But I felt I deserved it
I felt that unless my body was small
Smaller
Smallest
My bites should also be
Small
Measured
Restricted
But my bites were not
I ingested and digested heaps of body-hate
Until it made my tummy ache
with sorrow
with longing
I longed for
delight at the table
ease in my belly
and
self-kindness
So I started to add in
Add in small bites of
Understanding
Compassion
Deep body-listening
And the more I added in
The more I helped myself
To mounds of pleasure
Drenched with tenderness
The more I made time to
Sit at my table with my feelings
And let my body speak her story
Then and only then did kindness show up
Kindness showed up at the table
Hatred was no longer on the menu
Sometimes shame still ends up on my plate
But I know it doesn’t agree with me
So I politely say no thank you
And ask for more compassion
~ Nina Manolson
NinaManolson.com
Nina Manolson, MA, NBC-HWC, is a Body-Peace™ Coach.
She is a board certified Health Coach, Psychology of Eating Coach and Certified Body-Trust Provider, believes that every woman deserves to feel good in her own body.
She helps women create a healthy and positive relationship with their food and body so they can truly feel at peace in their body! She’s the founder of NinaManolson.com and The Nourished Woman Nation.
She specializes in working with women over 40 who have tried many other diets and approaches but are still struggling with their relationship to body and food.She’s the creator of the BODY-LOVE MAP and the recipient of the prestigious Health Leadership Award from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.To take a powerful step on the Body-Peace™ Path, download your Practicing Body-Peace Journal right HERE.
If you’d like help with navigating an authentic and respectful relationship with your body. Let’s talk.
