By Nicole Patience, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, CEDRD
When you think of your happy place, what comes to mind?
- Hanging out with certain friends?
- Enjoying your favorite treat?
- A particular color of the sky?
- A vacation, hiking or beach spot?
For me it’s a vista on my commute to work that evokes a sense of peace, calm and comfort. Being a transplant to Boston, there isn’t a familiar neighborhood or family to visit, but this meadow reminds me of my childhood, and is a beautiful, gentle reminder of my roots.
With disordered eating, thoughts about food or eating can take up heaps of time and serve many roles. Aside from nourishment, food may be used to comfort, reward, numb, deprive, procrastinate or socially isolate. It can serve as a moral high ground, an act of rebellion, and to distract from uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Food is not the only thing that can meet these demands.
As you realign the role of food in your life as only one important area, it’s an opportunity to explore ways other than food to serve these important roles. I encourage you to get curious about where these things are found in your life – what offers comfort, peace, joy, satisfaction? Discover your happy place.