Welcome to May! April disappeared in a flash, with life settling into the new "normal" under COVID-19. In the Northern Hemisphere, we have reached the halfway point between the first day of Spring (March 19) and the first day of Summer (June 20). This is a great time to pause and consider how in, or out of, balance your life is in this moment.
When training at Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I was introduced to the concept of Primary Food - those things that nourish us other than the food that we eat. The four main Primary Foods are career, relationships, physical activity, and spirituality.
Recall a time in your life when you felt deeply in love, or were involved in an exciting work project. During those times, you were likely completely engrossed, and food was an afterthought. You were sustained by the exhilaration of love, or the stimulation of working with purpose.
On the other hand, we can almost all point to a time in our lives when we fell victim to emotional eating. In fact, I have found myself snacking a lot more in the afternoons these days, not out of hunger, but rather due to all of the time spent at home with lack of social connection.
You might already know the areas in your life that feel out of balance. If not, the Circle of Life is a great tool that you can use to determine which Primary Foods are deficient. Rate your level of satisfaction in each of the 12 categories to identify imbalances. This will give you a quick snapshot of where you can focus your energy to move towards a more joyful life.
Next week, we'll be talking about clearing out those things that drain your energy to make space for what nourishes you. The Circle of Life is a great first step to prepare you for Spring cleaning!
Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash
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