Which character best describes you?
It may feel like some of your relationships are a boiling pot of water. Or some of the actions you try to make feel like one step forward and three steps back.
It takes maturity to not be reactive. Woah. That is the practice that we will never perfect except perfection is to try it over and over every day.
The practice, to be less reactive and more observant.
How do we do this? Every day, we can work with our nervous system and try to make new choices. What worked yesterday may not work today and vice versa.
For example. You woke up hungry and ate eggs with veggies, felt full all morning with heaps of energy. Your brain and body experienced a feeling of satiety and success.
The next day, you wake up not hungry but THINK you should have eggs again because it worked yesterday, ate the eggs and feel super tired and bloated after. Your brain and body experienced a feeling of failure and distrust.
You didn’t do anything wrong. But how can we keep practicing?
Depending on your Food Relationship Type, (take the quiz here) observe your thoughts and how you may respond…
REBEL-er: Why does this have to be so hard. I use to be able to release weight but now it is so complicated. I am going out for pizza.
COMFORT-er: I never get my needs met, so no wonder I feel crappy.
NUMB-er: Oh, well, I will just grab a pick me up to support my feelings of distress.
GUILT-er: Well, I give up. Every time I try to make changes it never works anyway.
CONNECT-or: What is the main objective and feeling I was trying to achieve? Being perfect or being connected? I got this, will take 5 deep breaths tomorrow and reset.
These thoughts and feelings affect every cell of your body. Everything we think, feel, or do is dependent upon brain cells to perform that function.
I have been loving the book “Whole Brain Living” by Jill Bolte. She is a neuroscientist who experienced a stroke and has one of the most popular Ted Talks, “Stroke of Insight”.
She breaks down the brain into 4 Characters. Each character is part of our rationale, logic, feelings and how we respond. “They all come out to our own unique recipe of who are we.”
Source: “Whole-Brain Living” by Jill Bolte Taylor
Character 1: Left Thinking: Verbal, thinks in language, thinks linearly, past/future based, analytical, focus on details, seeks differences, judgmental, punctual, individual, concise/precise, fixed, focus on ME, busy, conscious, structure/order, organizes everything, categorizes well, is naturally mechanical, is neat, plans well, respects authority, critically judges right/wrong and good/bad, counts everything, is protective.
Character 2: Left Emotion: Constricted, rigid, cautious, fear-based, stern, love conditionally, doubts, bullies, righteous, manipulates, deceives, tried and true, independent, egocentric, selfish, self-absorbed, self-righteous, self-promoting, critical, superior/inferior, right/wrong, good/bad, anger/name-calling, feels guilty, internalizes shame, negative self-judgment, anxious, whines, blames, holds grudges or resentments, no respect for authority.
Character 3: Right Emotion: Expansive, open, experiential, risk-taking, fearless, friendly, kind, empathic, loves unconditionally, forgiving, trusts, supports, grateful, playful, joyful, goes with the flow, awe-inspired, curious, creative/innovative, collective, sharing, equality, contextual, style, hopeful.
Character 4: Right Thinking: Nonverbal, thinks in pictures, thinks experientially, present moment-based, kinesthetic/body, looks holistically at the big picture, seeks similarities, compassionate, lost in the flow of time, collective, flexible/resilient, open to possibilities, focus on WE, available, unconscious, fluid/flow, aware, expansive, connection, accepting, embraces chance, authentic, generous of spirit, clarity, intention, vulnerability.
“Clearly, we have two hemispheres for a reason, and without our left brain, we are completely nonfunctional in the external world, in that we have no past or future, no linear thought, no language, and no sense of the boundaries of where we begin or end. Our left brain offers us our individuality, while our right brain connects us with the consciousness of not only the collective whole of humanity but the vast expansive consciousness of the universe.”
I remember the day I accessed my right brain for the first time when it came to my nutrition career. I was ONLY in my left brain for decades, then one day, my right brain asked a question…
“What if our body is brilliant and we learn to listen to it?”
Jill offers a great acronym for us to practice this, especially when we are in reactive mode.
I am adding the Feel Your Meal process along with this acronym to help you choose for your OWN body at the moment.
BRAIN acronym.
- Breathe and focus on your breath. This enables you to hit the pause button, interrupt your emotional reactivity, and bring your mind to the present moment with a focus on yourself. Breath breaks the neuron circuit to pause and create a different path.
Feel Your Meal process: Step 1: 5-Deep breaths as you meal plan, grocery shop or dine out. These breaths help relax your nervous system and connect your left and right brain to work together
- “Recognize which of the Four Characters’ circuitry you are running in the present moment.
Feel Your Meal process: Step 2: Pause and place your hand on your heart and stomach. Connect to your own inner intuition and observe which character is running the show.
- “Appreciate whichever character you find yourself exhibiting, and appreciate the fact that you have all Four Characters available to you at any moment.
Feel Your Meal process: Connect to your taste buds and other senses. Are you craving hot or cold and sweet or savory? We are sensory beings who FEEL, then think.
- “Inquire within and invite all Four Characters into the huddle so they can collectively and consciously strategize your next move.
Feel Your Meal process: Try a NEW Meal Type from the Conscious Nutrition Food Tree. Instead of doing protein and starches with each meal or omitting starches, try rotating different Meal Types and observe how your feel.
- “Navigate your new reality, with all Four Characters bringing their best game.
I would love to invite you to my FREE 5-day EASE-IN course, where you can practice with your Character Type, Food Relationship Type, support your nervous system and digestive tract.
Beginning September 21st, we will reduce inflammatory foods, experiment with the 4-Meal Types, and observe our thoughts and feelings on how we process our choices.
Value: $97
Coupon Code: easein
See you soon!
with abundant nourishment,
Heather Fleming, C.C.N. Conscious. Compassion. Nutrition.
P.S.S. Head over to my complementary Facebook Group now, this is where we will be hosting the FREE 5-DAY.
