Yesterday was Thanksgiving. How’d that go for you all? More than anything, the most important thing about Thanksgiving is connecting with others, enjoying great food, and being thankful. If you got a little more full than normal (or a lot more full) it’s okay. Guilt never helps. Let yourself let it go. 

I’ve already heard from a few of you that the Thanksgiving handout was helpful. Yay! One of the things in the audio that you all really loved (you can still download them both here and use them through the holidays) was the “life-jacket word”.

So let’s talk about it!

What is the life-jacket word?

It’s one word that you can remember in a moment of fighting listening to your body (or any struggle that you have). Mine, for example, is “CALM.” 

I’ve had other clients use the words “happy”, “slow”, or “peace.” You can use whatever word works best for you.

Why choose a life-jacket word?

Have you every woken up in the morning with a long list of intentions you want to carry through the day? Then you get halfway through the day and you remember “Oh yeah! Remember all of those intentions I had earlier today? I forgot about them!”

This is because our minds our way too busy thinking throughout each day. We cannot remember that laundry list of good things we want to do and feel throughout the entire day. We shouldn’t expect ourselves too (really, it’s asking a lot of ourselves!).

Instead… I’ve found that it works MUCH better to sum up how we want to feel in ONE word and remember that word throughout each day. 

I chose my word “calm” for a few reasons:

• I used to struggle A LOT with anxiety; calm reminded me that I had another option of how to feel
• When I’m tempted to eat past my fullness I find that it’s usually because I’m hyped up about my food and how good it is; calm reminds me to relax, sit back, and remember that I can have this food anytime
• If I’m feeling overwhelmed and rushing around throughout the day, I can whisper the word “calm” to myself and remember that everything will get done, I can slow down, and that it’s OK

How do you pick a “life-jacket” word?

First of all… think about that long list of intentions you tend to set up for yourself over and over again. Now, take a moment to drop all of the intentions that are simply “should’s” (I should do this because it’s the “healthy thing to do”, for example).

Now, with a list of intentions that you actually care about (ex: I want to walk in the house and be present with my baby girl when I’m home from work), why do you care about those intentions? If you were to have a day where all of these intentions were met, how would you feel? Name it in one word.

Now ask yourself how that word feels. If it feels good, try it out for a day!

You can always switch your word. 

Another way to choose your word is to look at your common struggle-scenario’s. For example: “Every time I come home from work I walk straight to the cupboard and start snacking. I fill myself up before dinner is ready and then I don’t enjoy my actual meal.”

• Perhaps you would want to feel CALM when you walk in the door, so you could make choices that allow you to calm down before dinner.
• Perhaps you would want to PACE yourself, and remember that you want to enjoy your dinner. If you need a snack, you’ll sit down and have something small to take the edge off, but keep your appetite.
• Perhaps you want to focus on being GENTLE with yourself and others. So you think about the most gentle way to approach this situation so that you can feel and be how you want.

Share your life-jacket word with me! I’d love to hear in the comments below! 

A few things:

• Come hangout with me on Instagram @paigeschmidt through this holiday season where I’ll be sharing tips on how to feel CALM around food.
• Finally, I’m booking ONE more Discovery Session for the last client I’ll take in 2017. If you’re interested in this space, book a free Discovery Session (click this link, fill in your name and email, and book your session when I email you the link) now for next week.
• Update as of 11/25/17: I am fully booked for 2017. To book a Discovery Session for January 2018, simply click here, enter your name & email, and I will send over a link to book your session in January 2018.