Intuitive Eating: So Far So Good

So I've started reading (and practicing) the concepts in Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works. So far, I like it and I can agree with its early premise.

According to the authors, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, we are all so weighed down by mixed messages about food, that we no longer can recognize our instincts about what and how much to eat. Some of us were told when we were children to finish our plates, regardless of whether we were still hungry or not. Others of us were berated for eating too much, or taking in too much sugar. Most of us have learned to listen to outside opinions about food rather than our own inclinations.

So one of the first steps to reclaiming our 'eating intuition' is to just eat what we want to eat. The reasoning behind it: Often we binge on foods because we've been forbidding ourselves from partaking. As a result, when we get a taste of the forbidden foods, we can't stop eating. The book suggests that we keep the forbidden foods around because that shows us that we can have those foods whenever we want. Eventually the allure of the forbidden foods diminishes. And even more importantly, eventually we'll get in touch with our eating impulses, which will lean toward foods that are life-preserving once we correct the imbalance we've set up through years of ignoring our natural food urges.

I told you about my Reese's Peanut Butter Cup craze - particularly the miniature cups. The other day, I bought some and consumed them within a couple of days. So in the spirit of Intuitive Eating, I went right back out and bought some more of the candy. Logically, it made no sense and I wondered if I was being ridiculous to buy more candy, but I did it anyway. This time around, I haven't been as interested in the candy. Yes, I've had a couple of pieces, but I haven't gobbled the candy up as if it were my last supper.

More on Intuitive Eating...

So as I’m on this food kick, trying to eat more intuitively without restricting myself, I did a Web search on intuitive eating and came up with some helpful information. Since I know there are a lot of people out there trying to lose weight or eat more healthy, I thought I’d share.

A lot of what I read talked about paying attention to the way foods make you feel. Also, notice what you’re craving because there may be something your body really needs (and a healthier substitution you can make). For example, if you’re craving a hamburger, it may simply be your body’s way of craving protein. A piece of cheese may do the trick.

This weekend, I'm also going to pick up a copy of Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. I'll let you know how it works for me.

Here are some sites around the Web that deal with the topic of intuitive eating. Eat Up!

About.com Alternative Medicine Guide to Intuitive Eating

Intuitive Eating Blog

Intuitive Body Blog

IntuitiveEating.org

My Intuitive Diet Plan

Yesterday, I was listening to a friend talk about all of the foods she was cutting out of her diet for the new year. She was frustrated because she’d been wanting to lose weight and improve her health for years and could never seem to do it. As she rattled off about the latest diet plan she was trying, I couldn’t help but think that her approach seemed counter-intuitive.

Diets are so focused on what we’re not going to do. They’re restrictive and all about contraction. I think of intuition as a form of expansion. It helps me to determine what step I’m going to take. It helps me to move closer to what feels good. In fact, one of the ways I know my intuition is speaking to me is that the choice makes me feel good – I feel lighter and a little more clear.

I wondered if she would have more success if she placed her focus on what she was going to eat, rather than what she was not going to eat. If she made a plan to eat an extra serving of fruits and vegetables each day, rather than worrying about cutting out sweets and carbs.

I thought about it so much that I decided I would try it. After all, if I’m going to live intuitively, I need to follow through on my own ideas, rather than looking for the best diet plan somebody else came up with. Like most people, I have that handful of pounds I’m trying to lose every year, and I could stand to eat more fruits and veges and drink more water. My weakness is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and whenever I go on a health kick, I vow to cut them out of my life. So I decided this year, I will allow myself to eat as many Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as I want AFTER I’ve fulfilled my daily fruit and vegetable requirement (five servings) and my daily water allotment. Yesterday, I was so focused on meeting those healthy-eating requirements that by the time I’d finished, I left the peanut butter cups alone.

Intuitive Action Item: Think back to a time when you knew someone’s approach would be all wrong for you. Were you right? Did you act on your intuition? Next that it happens, you’ll know what that feels like.

Willing to Be Wrong

A few months ago, I met a woman who is a professional psychic or intuitive reader. She told me about a few things that would happen in the next few months, and some of them have, in fact, happened. But her predictions weren’t what stood out most to me about our conversation.

I told her that I wanted to strengthen my intuition and do a better job of trusting it and she encouraged me, telling me that we all have the capability to improve the accuracy of our intuition.

She said, “Why don’t you trust your intuition?”

I said, “Because I’m afraid I might be wrong.”

She said, “So what if you’re wrong?”

When she posed that question to me, I didn’t have an answer. Even if I don’t use my intuition to solve day-to-day dilemmas, there’s a chance I may be wrong.

I thought about what that woman said a lot in the last few months. Sometimes we have so many options that we become stuck, as we try to figure out which path to take. A common piece of advice is to just take a step – any step – and see where it leads. Sure, we may decide to take a step back and go in a different direction, but at least we ruled out one option and made some progress. And if we’re making progress, are we ever really wrong?

Intuitive Action Item: Think back to a time when you made what you believe to be a wrong decision. Has anything good come of it? The fact that you know it was the ‘wrong’ decision means you’ve achieved some level of growth as a result of it. By making peace with the times that you were wrong, you’re more open to trying new paths that your intuition will bring you to in the future.

An Intuition Missed

One of the best motivations for listening to intuition is regretting a time that we didn’t. I received this emailed story from B. Jordan:

Over the holidays, I went home to Michigan to visit with family. While I was there, I kept thinking about one of my old friends who had long since moved away from Michigan and I hadn’t seen her or spoken to her for years. I mentioned it to my mother and she told me that this friend’s aunt still lived in town and mentioned that the aunt had been sick. I didn’t think anything more of it and after our visit, I returned home. The day after the new year, my mother called to tell me that she had run into my friend’s aunt. The aunt told my mom that my friend had been there for the holidays and she had mentioned getting in touch with me. I wish that I had contacted my friend’s aunt when I was home because then I would have seen my friend. We each thought about each other but neither of us acted on it. I realize now that my constantly thinking about her was really my intuition.

Thanks for the story, B. What we can learn from this is that intuition isn’t really that complicated. The key is taking note of those things that weigh on your mind unexpectedly. For example, if money is a concern right now, it’s probably not your intuition if you’re thinking heavily about money. But if your finances are great and you feel a sudden twinge of anxiety about money, there might be something for you to consider.

Intuitive Action Item: Next time something weighs unexpectedly on your mind, ask yourself if there’s a step you can take that’s related to that concern. Most of your thoughts are fleeting and passing. The ones that stick around tend to be there for a reason.

Engaging Intuition: Cultivating Your Silence

The first Monday after New Year's Day always has a busy feel to it. Look around you. Everyone's back at work, back to their routines and back to the distractions of day-to-day life. All of that is definitely not conducive to intuition, which flourishes in silence, stillness and tranquility.

If intuition is going to play a conscious part of your life in 2011 (and by conscious, I mean you're going to engage your intuition rather than merely waiting for it to make an appearance every now and then) you've got to build silence, stillness and tranquility into your routine. You can do that by simply taking five to ten minutes a day to turn off all noisy distractions and listen to your thoughts. One of my favorite ways to invite stillness into my life is to do so each morning over coffee before the obligations of the day start to call me. Not surprisingly, I've come up with some of my most creative ideas and resolved many a problem while satisfying my daily caffeine fix.

But what you can't do is wing it. You have to plan your silences just as you'd plan the time you're going to spend in the gym. If you don't, your desire to live a more self-motivated, intuitive life will be just another unfulfilled goal this time next year.

Intuitive Action Item: Make time for silence. Pick a part of your day that will remain free from noise and distractions, even if you combine it with another private activity such as using the bathroom or showering. It can be five minutes or twenty, though the more you do it, the more creative you'll get at stealing silent moments throughout the day. During this time, the only thing you have to do is pay attention to what you're thinking about. What you hear may very well surprise you.

Teena Marie Premonition of Death?

Last week, the entertainment world lost Teena Marie, a singer fondly known as “the Ivory Queen of Soul.” Though Teena reportedly died in her sleep, a peek into her twitter account found that the singer had tweeted earlier that night. One of her tweets was a quote of Sarah Vaughan, which read, "May You never grow old, and may I never die"…
Did that quote just happen to pop into her mind hours before her death, or could Teena have had a premonition that she was about to die?

Psychic Predictions for 2011

So we've been talking about how intuition is a great way for us to empower ourselves and listen to our higher voices, but it can also be fun. With 2010 behind us, it’s time for the crystal balls to come out and the predictions to flow.

Whether you’re interested in global happenings, politics or celebrities, there are psychics who are clamoring to tell you what’s new for 2011. Below is a sampling of some of the predictions floating around the Web. But before you get caught up seeing what other people have predicted, check out our Intuitive Action Item below.

Intuitive Action Item: Write your own list of predictions for the year (remember, these are not personal predictions, but rather about the world, the country, celebrities – you decide). Put your list in a place where you’ll be able to find it next year. If you're really brave, post your predictions here. When 2012 comes around, you’ll be able to see how much you already knew.

A smattering of predictions from around the Web:

http://www.spiritnow.com/psychics/2011_Psychic_Predictions

http://worldpsychic.org/predictions/Predictions-2011-1-draft.htm

http://worldpsychic.org/predictions/Predictions-2011-11-draft.htm

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/sanbernardinocounty/ci_16981945

http://world-famous-predictions-prophecies.blogspot.com/

Set Intentions, Not Resolutions

One of the reasons many of us have such a hard time with intuition is because we live in societies that value action. No where is this more evident than around the New Year when we make resolutions to change our worlds in the next twelve months. We will do this. We won’t do that. Most of our resolutions depend on us making monumental changes.

But where does intuition come in? Intuition is an intangible force that’s connected to God, the Universe, the Spirit World or whatever spiritual tradition you believe in. It helps us to achieve our goals, but it usually helps us when we ALLOW it to – meaning we often have to take a break from some of our actions to allow it to do its thing.

Have you ever had the experience of being totally frustrated because a goal just proved so elusive and when you finally gave up because it was so difficult, it happened for you? That’s the power of learning to allow the Universe and your higher self to help you realize your dreams.

So how do you invite intuition to help you achieve your New Year’s goals and make the changes you want to make in your life? You set intentions, not resolutions.

Intentions are desires – the end results we wish to see. Resolutions are actions. Steps we plan to take. When you set resolutions, you let the Universe know, ‘I’ve got this. I’ve got it all under control.’ When you set intentions, you let the Universe know, ‘This is what I want. I’m listening for you to guide me so that I can get there.’ You may be led to write down some of the steps you will take, but you are less concerned with HOW things will happen and are open to discovering the How along the way.

Intuitive Action of the Day: What are your intentions for the New Year? Write a list of the changes you’d like to see in your life by December 31, 2011. Don’t figure out how at this moment. As you read over your list, ask your higher self for intuitive guidance on how to get there.

Be Open for Answers

Yesterday I wrote about engaging intuition by asking the right questions. Intuition is designed to help you achieve your best life. If you ask no questions, you're letting the universe know that you're complacent; there's nothing you need to know.

But in order to engage the flow of intuition, you've also got to be open to the answers. It therefore follows that you may find that there are certain situations in which your intuition doesn't seem very helpful:

---Situations when you already think you know the answer. What's the point of asking for signs or guidance when you've already closed your mind off to some of the possibilities?

---Situations surrounding your biggest dreams. If you really, really want a certain outcome, you're likely to close yourself off to some potential answers because you're either too certain that you're going to get it (or that you're not).

---Situtions connected to past hurts. If you're still reeling from a broken relationship or a breach of trust, you may not be open to all answers because of fears of being hurt again.

That's not to say you can't use your intuition to help you with the things that matter most to you. In later posts we'll discuss ways to trick your logical mind so that your intuition can be heard during emotionally-charged situations. But for now, when you're starting to engage your intuition, it's best to start with questions that you feel more neutral about -- questions that you're curious about, but not vested in the outcome. Once you start noticing how the universe responds to your questions, you can move on to bigger and better things.

Intuitive Action of the Day: Pick a question that you feel neutral about and ask for intuitive guidance about how to move forward. Pay attention to hunches you get and write them down.

Intuition on Demand: Bring on the Questions

Many people can recall a time when they just ‘knew’ something even though they logically had no way of knowing it. And we’ve all had our hunches that came true, when we said, ‘I knew that was going to happen.’ I call those intuition quick hits – they come out of nowhere; we never know when they’re going to happen, but it’s fun when they do.


So how do you go from being at the whim of intuition to being able to call up your intuition on demand? For example, I misplaced my driver’s license. It sure would be great if my intuition would provide one of those hunches right about now.

Well, it can. We can engage our intuition and get it working for us rather than merely entertaining us. The first step in doing that is asking the right questions.

When you silently ask a question, the universe reacts and provides an answer. The answer may come in the form of a song you hear on the radio, or it may come in the form of a book title that comes across your desk. Someone may even call you on the phone and provide you with the very information you seek.

The answer might not come right away; it may take a few days or a few dreams. But keep the question in the back of your mind and pay attention. Whatever way the answer comes, it was evoked by intuition.

What are some good questions? Anything is fair game.

Is this a good situation for me?
Should I become more involved with this person?
Is this person lying to me?
Is this a good time to start putting my resume out there?
Should I seek a second opinion?
Should I be concerned about my child's behavior?

Not sure whether this information is true? Don’t trust me. Pose the question to the universe and see what your intuition drums up in response.

Raising Intuitive Kids

It's been said that children are the most intuitive because they have not been conditioned to value logic over intuition and feeling. The following article lends credence to that belief. A small child heard the roaring wind outside, got scared and ran out of her room into her mother's bed. Later that night, a tree fell though the house and crushed the bed where the child had been sleeping. Read the article here. What if that mother had ignored her child's fears and pushed her back to her bedroom? The story would have had a tragic ending.

If you have children, or have spent alot of time around them, you might recall a time when a child tensed up around a stranger or you might have noticed a child pull away from some people and not others. I remember a time when my nephew seemed noticeably uncomfortable around a friend of his father's. I pointed it out to my sister, and since she has a lot of respect for the power of gut instinct, she made sure my nephew didn't have to be around this man.

If you'd like to nurture your children's intuition, take heed of the following tips:

--Honor emotional intelligence. Make it a habit to ask your child what he or she is feeling about day-to-day events, even if your child doesn't have a say in the matter. For example, your child may not be able to decide when you're going to head home from the park, but you can ask him what he feels about leaving now as opposed to fifteen minutes later.

--Pay attention to strong reactions. You know your child, and you know when something really pushes his or her buttons. If your childs reacts strongly in a positive or negative manner, consider acting accordingly. For example, my nephew's reaction to his father's friend was unusual and extreme. If this was my nephew's normal reaction to meeting people, my sister might have paid less attention to his discomfort.

--Encourage imagination. If your child starts telling you about an imaginary friend or an unbelievable experience, don't be so quick to shut it down. Some believe that imaginary friends could be ghosts. Even if you don't believe that, imagination is very important to intuition since it gives you permission to have an open mind - something that's needed when your gut goes against everything that you can see logically.

Special Delivery: Intuition or Coincidence?

I had an interesting experience in the post office the other day. I was standing in line and had the strongest feeling that I had left my wallet in the car. I knew that wasn't possible because I hadn't taken my wallet outside of my purse, but the strong feeling prompted me to check my purse for my wallet anyway. My wallet was there so I brushed the thought aside. When the man in front of me reached the counter, he handed the postal worker his packages. He then reached into his pocket and realized he had left his wallet in the car.

Mere coincidence? Or was I picking up on the fact that the man had lost his wallet?

A Sister's Tale of Intuition

I received the following story via email from Christine W. about how her intuition helped her sister get through a medical emergency. Here it is in her own words:

My sister and I had gone shopping together over the weekend. We had a great time and I had packed up the car and the kids and was headed back home. I live about 30 minutes away. I was more than halfway home when I had a feeling I had forgotten something really important. At first I shrugged it off, but it kept bothering me until finally I pulled over into a gas station and checked the car to make sure I had my purse and my wallet. I couldn’t think of anything else I needed since my kids were in the car with me. Anything else, my sister could either mail or I could pick it up later. But the feeling got stronger and I started to feel nervous so finally I just picked up my cell phone and called my sister. There was no answer. At this point, I knew I had to go back. I did trust ‘bad feelings’ so I turned around and went back to my sister’s house. She didn’t answer, but I have a key and I found that she had passed out. I called an ambulance. She’s fine now, but I realize that that feeling that I had forgotten something was my intuition.

Thanks for the story, Christine!

Animal Messages

I’ve been reading a lot about synchronicity lately, as I’m working on an article about how people use it to come up with signs and signals to propel their lives forward. Maybe it’s because as a child I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I’m particularly interested in animals and the belief that animals that cross your path deliver a message that can guide you in one direction or another.

A butterfly can signal that you’re about to undergo a period of transformation, while a skunk that protects itself with it’s magnificent odor can be a sign that you need to defend yourself. Rabbits are signs of fertility and new life. Today a deer crossed my path and deer can represent gentleness and unconditional love. Seeing the deer made me stop and ask myself, who am I reacting to in a harsh or judgmental manner? (I’m not sure if I’m ready to act on that information, but it was interesting to stop and think about it.)

There are a lot of sites online that give animal symbolism. Some of my favorites are http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-totems.html, http://onespiritx.tripod.com/magick18.htm and http://www.theearthangelconnection.com/Power%20%20Animals.htm.

While I love seeing what these sites have to say, I think of these meanings the same way I view dream dictionaries. They can be helpful, but if an animal conjures up a different meaning for you, always go with your personal interpretation.

No Chance Meetings Part Two

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a synchronicity that I followed up on. I'd run into someone multiple times and decided to introduce myself to see if there was a message she had for me (see blog post No Chance Meetings from April 21st). Though I believe in synchronicity, I was still a little surprised at the coincidence that she was trying to make a career change into freelance writing and researching. (No matter how intuitive you think you are, your ego is still going to tell you you're making it all up.)We were at a conference for corporate women so there were very few writers there. The fact that she ran into me of all people was a stroke of luck -- or synchronicity -- on her part.

Or so I thought. I agreed to speak with her and give her some tips, but it turns out, I benefited more from the meeting than I thought I would. One of my goals is to finish my first novel -- a goal that has gone uncompleted for years. That's actually one of her main goals too. So we've formed a writer's group in which we'll meet once a week to hold each other accountable. The funny thing is, earlier that week, I had been thinking hard about that dream I have to write fiction and wondering how to finally make it happen. That chance meeting was an answer. We'll see if it's the right one.

Healing Intuition

One of the most interesting areas of intuition to me is that of medical intuition. Perhaps it’s because it’s so easy to see the impact such intuitive guidance can make. I in no way advocate seeing a medical intuitive instead of a doctor, but I think there is a lot that can be gained from seeing both if you’re experiencing health problems. While doctors focus on curing the physical body, medical intuitives often can pinpoint emotional/spiritual imbalances that can contribute to illness. Such individuals claim to be able to detect illness in one’s body through intuitive methods.

Caroline Myss, author of such books as Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential" and Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing", is one of the better known medical intuitives. Edgar Cayce and Phineas Parkhurst Quimby are some others.

Regardless of what you believe about medical intuition, many people – myself included – believe that the mind plays a major role in healing. Those who believe they can overcome a disease or get well often have an edge over those who feel defeated. And the Placebo Effect – cases in which patients were cured even when the treatment was nothing more than a sham -- shows that belief is often just as powerful as medication itself. With that in mind, I think medical intuition can’t hurt. If someone can give me a reason to believe that I can improve my chances of healing by addressing emotional/spiritual causes while a medical doctor does what he can on the physical level, I’ll take all the help I can get.

No Chance Meetings

So one of my favorite books of all time is The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure. Last weekend, I picked it up and was re-reading it when one of the concepts that always jumps out at me jumped out at me again: The whole concept of synchronicity, and how when you run into someone multiple times either you have a message for them or they have one for you. In other words, it was no mere coincidence that you ran into this person again.

So I was at a dinner and panel discussion earlier this week and 'coincidentally,' I found myself in the elevator with the same woman when I was arriving to the panel discussion and two hours later when I was leaving the panel discussion. With the book still fresh in my mind, I stopped her and asked if she had a business card because I thought it was interesting that we met up again. I gave her mine.

She contacted me not an hour later. It turns out, she's trying to make a career change and isn't sure how to do it. The career she's trying to break into is freelance writing and researching. With me being a freelance writer and editor, I guess there's a lot that we have to talk about.

Time

The last time I wrote, I was grappling with a friend's death. I guess it affected me more than I thought it did since I didn't write again for four months.

But I'm glad that I honored my resistance. That's part of living intuitively; being ok with starting and stopping and letting time pass by until you instinctively know that it's time to start again.

There was a time when I would have been mad at myself for stopping, or I would have forced myself to write so that I could achieve a goal that existed only in my head. I'm glad that time has passed.

The Intuitive Nature of Death

Death is probably the toughest thing to process. Witnessing the dying process of someone you care about takes up so much energy, there’s not much left for anything more than what’s absolutely necessary.

A good friend lost her fight with cancer last month, and I found myself thinking a lot about life and death; I also thought a lot about my father’s battle with cancer, which ended with his death five years ago. In both of those situations, there was a day when they knew they were going to die. You could hear the acceptance in their voices; you could see the resignation in their actions. I think dying is a very intuitive process. Those who are in tune with their bodies and their spirits just know that the time is near.

Both my dad and my friend talked about dreams they had of others who had passed before them; both talked of a different state of awareness at times during their final days. A great book that helped me understand that process when I was going through it with my dad was Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying.

It was written by two hospice workers and it talks about that different state of awareness when a person is literally living between two worlds. It reassured me that he would be ok going through the dying process and afterward.

I did honor my feelings of sadness last month and this month. I didn’t feel much like blogging, so I didn’t. Now I do, so I am. I guess that’s what living intuitively is about.