Energy Crisis!

Energy Crisis!
There's currently a major energy crisis. Everyone knows it;
you'd have to be hiding your head in the sand not to hear
the dreaded predictions for the world as a result of our
wasting our energy resources. I absolutely agree that we
need to conserve for the sake of our planet. However, I
want to talk about a more personal kind of energy crisis,
for a different (but no less pressing) cause.

What about our emotional and psychological resources? The
resources we waste wondering: am I eating the right foods?
Am I doing the right exercises? Do I exercise enough? Do I
look the way the magazines say I'm supposed to?

My cousin once told me at her work the employees discuss
their diets and their bodies on a regular basis. They will
sit at meals, talk about the foods they have brought, and
the reasons they should be eating something else. They
talk about how they wish they could fit into their old
clothes, and how they don't like the way their bodies look.
This struck me as so very sad, and all I could think was,
"What a waste of energy!"

Why do people do this to themselves? I'm afraid we are
caught up in a vicious cycle. We are caught in thinking
about the way we are "supposed to look, supposed to eat" -
and when we possibly deviate from a given, we have
committed a sin, and there is no going back. Why is it we
are unable to simply allow ourselves to do the best we can
with the resources we have, including time to cook, to buy
food, to be active, and accept ourselves?

Why does it seem to be easier to criticize what we haven't
done, rather than congratulate ourselves on what we have
managed to accomplish in a society where we are rushed,
rushed, rushed? Why are we unable to congratulate ourselves
for the ten-minute walk we fit in during break instead of
criticizing ourselves for not jogging for 45 minutes?

I don't know the answer to this yet, but I do like to
imagine what could be done with the time and energy saved
on not being critical of ourselves.

One way we can save energy is by learning to be at peace
with food. You need to learn about yourself and why you
have the relationship you do with the food you eat. Once
you are able to do this, you will not need to waste time
wondering about your food choices, or your exercise
activities, or the way you are "supposed to" be.

Imagine if you discussed with your friends and colleagues
life, politics (okay, everyone isn't like me and won't do
that), travel, good restaurants, and books. Think of the
lively discussions about the latest Harry Potter (spoiler
alert!). Didn't you just know that Snape was a good guy all
along?

Think of all the things you would learn about yourself and
your friends if you just weren't wasting energy.

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For free tips to becoming At Peace With Food, articles, and
links to nutritional resource websites, visit
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