In July, I
did a blog about nasty things in cleaning products. I looked at products for
cleaning round the house, but also at cosmetics, moisturisers and cleansers.
Since then, I have had the chance to look at Arbonne products, which are
marketed as “Pure, Safe, Beneficial”. I used them for a week, and I have to say
that I really noticed a difference. My favourite products were the renewal
serum and the eye cream. I noticed less creases around my eyes, and the wrinkles
on my upper lip (the ones you get when you go “Ooooo”!) were definitely
improved. Arbonne products really ticked a lot of boxes for me: they worked
well, they have less nasties in them and finally they are economical, because
actually you use very little each time, so each bottle lasts longer. If you
want to try Arbonne, our local woman is a friend of mine, Michele Cole, and you
can contact her on 07905586274 or at michelecole2@gmail.com.
This
month though I primarily wanted to talk about diets and self-development and my
experience. You might remember that earlier this year I started trying to lose
weight, by eating more slowly, being more conscious of what I ate, and eating
more healthily. It worked really well for a couple of months, and I lost about
a stone. Then I stalled a bit, I kept the weight off but no more than that. And
it was hard for me to find the inspiration and willpower to do any more than
that. We’ve all been there I’m sure!
And
I was really wanting to change things around. I have dieted lots in my life,
and it never seems to last. As a holistic practitioner, I just felt that
somehow I wasn’t looking at the whole picture. There was something about my
relationship with food that just wasn’t right.
·
If ‘comfort eating’ is what I do, why do I need the comfort? What
is wrong in my life that means I am uncomfortable?
·
Or, if I am using food to stuff down my feelings, well what
feelings am I stuffing down? What feelings am I not wanting to feel?
Well,
I’m sure I stuff down feelings. None of us has perfect lives, and it’s only too
easy to succumb to the ‘glass half empty’ philosophy when life is hard. But surely the trick would be to identify the
feelings I have that make me comfort eat? I can accept that my life isn’t
perfect, but how can I identify the feelings that make me fat?
The
first place I wanted to start was by looking back at successes. When had I lost
weight in the past? Sure, I have lost weight for specific reasons before - my
son’s wedding, deciding to find a life partner - but what about when I have
lost weight for no specific reason, just because it was easy?
Actually,
that is quite easy to remember. This year, after stalling for a while, I had a
very easy time losing weight between July and September. I was barely thinking
about it, and lost another half stone. What was I doing then? I don’t know if
you can remember, but I certainly can. I had read Brown’s ‘Daring greatly’ and
had started to do the thing I had always wanted to do - write a book. I was
researching my subject happily, doing my homeopathy, sleeping well - it was all
going fine. I did a week in Scotland doing what Antonia Fraser calls ‘visual
research’ - which in my case going around a lot of castles - whilst eating
stuff like battered haggis and chips, and I still managed to lose weight. I got
home, had to run to catch up on patients and accounts and life generally, and
got out of my groove. And there I was, putting on the weight. Not doing my
book, and getting fat again.
Now,
in fact I was having a good time. I wasn’t miserable: I was doing a course,
playing with the grandchildren, working, and gardening. I did feel sad re not
getting on with writing, I admit. But it felt like there never was the time to
do that. Since I noticed this and got back to the book, actually it’s easy to
make the time, because I enjoy it and it inspires me.
So,
there’s an easy lesson here for me. I can identify what I truly want by paying
attention to my body. My teacher is me.
As a holistic practitioner, I know that we are all experts on ourselves, and
that means that I really listen to what my patients tell me about their
symptoms. But I have to say that I had never considered listening to my weight
before! If I put weight on, the answer is
not to give myself a hard time. I need to stop, and consider what it is in
my life that isn’t working for me, and change things around.
And
of course, it doesn’t have to be about weight. We are all unique, and our
unease shows itself in different ways. It could be insomnia, or acne, or
irritability. It could even be pain or constipation or hot flushes. Whatever
the problem, it’s a signpost, an alarm signal, a warning that things aren’t quite
right. We all need to recognise the warning, to think about the reasons, and experiment
with change to see if we can identify the problem.
Good
luck! And remember that homeopathy can really help in those moments of change -
I always take a remedy when I get stuck, and the right one always helps me to
shift things around. So you know where to come if you are having problems!
