Like a caterpillar to a butterfly, it can be hard to identify what all takes place as we evolve into our own – it just happens naturally. We start out with little consciousness, go through what seems like some very long, dark, and confusing experiences of self-discovery, and then we begin to see the light as the chrysalis begins to split. This is when we can look back and thank the struggles, both influential and small, for making us wiser and more equipped moving forward.
If you’re anything like me, this is sort of how my story unfolded with food, body, how I related to, and defined health for myself. My environment and the relationship I had with it determined my experiences with these things – as it does for any other adolescent. I ate what, when, and how I observed others eating. I dressed and acted how others did. Whatever got me love – I played the part, and I fit in in the ways I could best take advantage of doing so.
But somewhere along the way, this wasn’t working out so well and I didn’t really know what was happening until the signs kept knocking louder and louder and I had no choice but to answer. At one point or another, I’ve experienced what I know now to be an uncontrollable binge eating cycle, body image distortion, insomnia, the gripping mental prison of perfectionism and overthinking, and the endless chase to find the “best” diet. I know now that these were all protection mechanisms that attempted to keep me safe from feeling what was going on beneath the surface.
It seems that somehow I neglected everything I knew inside in order to replace it with acceptance from the outside. Throughout the past half-decade or so of unwinding myself from these dizzying compulsions, I have always come back to the same principles of turning inward and truly pausing and listening to MY body’s needs through my OWN personal experiences and intuition- no one else’s. I now lead my life at a slower pace, from a more purposeful place. I vow to unconditionally accept myself as I am going through whatever comes my way instead of being at war and abandoning myself instead. I observe, rather than judge, stay curious, and I make this journey of mine right.
In our culture today, it’s far from easy to live in these ways. Comparing to one another in artificial ways is at an all-time high and that puts us on a never-ending quest to work harder, achieve more, have more, so we can be seen as accepted and “enough”. But wait, do we really FEEL good on the inside? Are we really finding the answers and fulfillment we seek by matching the world out there??
This personal passage has led me to help thousands of people discover their own inner communication system so they can be truthfully guided and develop into their most fulfilled, expressed selves. When we are aligned with this inner trust and freedom, our struggles with health not only diminish, but we also learn to relax into the journey that’s unfolding when we do face them. There is always higher wisdom within us, advising us. It’s time we acknowledge its power!
Erica Small
Empowering.Enlightening.Heartfelt.
ABOUT ERICA
As a certified Mind Body Eating Coach and Personal Trainer, I have had the privilege of working alongside and enlightening thousands of people through my role as a Holistic Health Coach in various corporate wellness settings for nearly 5 years. I guide you in finding confidence and freedom from unwanted food, body, and eating concerns that take energy away from your passions and being able to truly fulfill who you want to be and who you’re meant to be in this world. I help you, help yourself by diving into as many realms as needed to get you more in touch with YOU- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I take a mind-body and dynamic psychology approach to view and accept you as the whole, unique person you already are. This involves conversations around food choices, food habits, work-life balance, stress, movement, sleep, energy, unwanted eating concerns (binge, emotional, and overeating), emotions, weight concerns, limiting beliefs/mindset, and more.