Hello love,
I wanted to share more on this topic because a client asked me about it and this has been a concern with other women and clients as well.
Of course my client is actively working on her emotional eating which is helpful.
But this is something to be aware of because when we have this emotional eating pattern we relate to food, our body and emotions in an unhealthy way. Our children will naturally pick up on how we are being and behaving. It doesn’t matter what we say.
We may be doing all the “right” actions but children can feel how we are feeling.
We need to be embodying and being the best version of ourselves around food and how we relate to our body for our kids to ingrain these habits. Not easy but possible!
This was something that was important to me before I had my son. I had resolved my emotional eating and had the tools in place. So, when I had him I was more connected to him, his needs and was able to attune to him.
It’s not too late if you already have kids but it’s great if you resolve this pattern before. The better your relationship to yourself, food, your body and emotions the better able you are to model + guide your children.
As I mentioned in previous videos children’s brains are very open. Until the age of 7 they are in theta brainwave and they are absorbing patterns without discernment. Of course parents are usually the closest to children and so they model most of their patterns.
Children are not consciously saying “Yes, I like this pattern. No, this one is not healthy”. They are just actively absorbing patterns and essentially inheriting them.
If we are not being different they will absorb our current patterns.
So as soon as we know we have an emotional eating pattern it’s best to find a way to resolve it in a sustainable way that helps us attune to ourselves.
Attunement is important because you and your child are not the same. They will have different preferences, hunger levels, etc and the better you are at knowing yourself – the better you can guide them in their needs.
I’m going to share with you where this shows up for emotional eaters and the shift that is needed.
True Nourishment
If you are not aware of your relationship to food and not actively creating a healthy relationship to food, hunger and nourishment you’re going to be operating in a certain way as an emotional eater. The more attuned you are to your self with hunger, when to eat and satisfying hunger – the more you can help your children with their own cues.
If you are nourishing your body and eating in a way that feels good, is satisfying your needs, not obsessing about food or restricting and saying this food is good vs. bad. This becomes the way your children experience your relationship to food and will absorb that.
Body Acceptance
The 2nd area that is going to be important is around your physical body and the rhythms + rituals it needs. While not making your body = your self worth.
For example when you honour your body’s needs for rest and sleep you are showing your kids that your body is important, that you are important. Just by acting and behaving in this way your children are going to absorb that.
You also be better able to attune to their needs and help them honour their body.
With children they want to push limits (I have a 7 year old!). Attuning to yourself and your children helps you with creating healthy boundaries for them (and yourself) without guilt.
Emotional Wellness
The 3rd area that is important is around emotional wellness. I always share that emotions and emotional trauma are usually at the root of creating the emotional eating pattern.
Of course there is a lot of other things piled on top that can complicate this.
When you are actively working on your emotional eating, triggers, traumas and other layers that may come up and clearing that pattern you start honouring your emotions. This translates to honouring your children’s emotions as well.
The modality I use with clients helps them be with emotions in a healthy way and creates more compassion. When you embody that you will have that same empathy and compassion for your children and create the space to be there for them. This sets them up to have something you didn’t have.
You’re not giving them something to feel good (food, etc) or allowing others to do that when they are emotional. You’re not distracting them from their emotions but rather being with them.
This is the biggest gift you can give to your children and yourself.
This is so important. Our emotions are messengers and giving us information about our life.
When we have this pattern with emotional eating we are disconnected from our emotions and we put food on top of them making us go further and further from ourselves.
This is so helpful and helps to eliminate a lot of distress for your children and you.
Summary
These areas I’ve mentioned are the first 3 phases of The Emotional Eating Evolution Program. These are the areas that are important for emotional eaters to work through to start connecting back to food, their body and emotions to create a sustainable way of being that is health giving, healthy and nourishing. This leads to freedom, confidence and ease in your body and around food.
When YOU are actively being this you create this for your children. Because in the world, society and school there is another set of rules. If we don’t know how ourselves and teach this to our children then we are easily taken over by those outside rules which create dysfunction.
When you set your children up with this foundation at home they will have more resiliency, confidence and will feel good in themselves most of the time.
The emotional eating pattern has derailed up to this point but you but as you work through it, you set your children up for success. You give them more awareness to have a healthy relationship to food, their body and their emotional world.
If what I shared is resonating with you I’d love to invite you to find out more about The Emotional Eating Evolution Program HERE or book in an Emotional Eating Assessment call HERE to see how the program can support you in reaching your goals.
To confidence,
Michelle
Certified Holistic Nutritionist + Emotional Eating Expert
