The busiest station I can imagine is Euston Station in London. Which one do you picture when I ask you to think of a big, busy, loud train station? Go there now for a few seconds.
This train station is a metaphor for the mind.
Most people’s minds are too busy, but I want to use the mind as a busy train station to talk about using the tools I give you in coaching, and get you to make them a part of your week outside coaching sessions.
You’ve probably heard me talk about how it is not food that is the cause of your eating issues.
That cause may be apparent to you or it may be mysterious. You may not have the full picture because you may have buried it as a protection mechanism, or you might assume that event X is the cause when actually it could be lack of support from those around you following that event.
Whatever your history, you will benefit from emptying your mental train station.
The point of real train stations is that they are busy.
But your mental train station is the opposite. Here you have built the station as a way to avoid looking at the deeper reasons for your eating problems. The constant stream of people and trains arriving and departing are all distractions from doing this liberating work.
What are the trains and people? It may be work, addictions, social media, TV, magazines, petty arguments, the news, podcast addiction, body hatred...what else? What drains you and diverts you from your true goals in life? Only you can decide. And some things can either drain or empower you.
For example my work as a teacher drained me and I am not sure how much it enhanced the learning of the kids I taught. However my work as a coach empowers me and my clients (although I must watch my workaholic tendancies, which could easily drain me). Podcasts are a great thing, but if you can never go for a walk without the distraction of a podcast, then ask yourself: why don’t you want to be with yourself?
Now if something is draining you and diverting you from living the best life possible, there is a good chance that it is a diversion from looking at your deeper eating issues.
So you want to start emptying your train station. Have times when you allow your mind to quiet itself.
How To Empty Your Mental Train Station
Some ideas for starters...
Meditation
Yoga
Being in nature
Box breathing, 4-7 breathing, 5-1-5 breathing
Slow eating
Avoiding stimulants (eg coffee may put you in the stress response which is Grand Central Station for your mind, minus the beautiful architecture)
Avoiding any foods or drink that changes your state of mind
What else? What stills your mind and grounds you?
If you can empty your train station, then insights come more easily, journalling becomes more productive, and the theta affirmations and hypnotic audios can become really powerful vehicles for instruction the subconscious is now ready to accept.
But It's Really Hard!
Absolutely. Your mind will probably developed the busy train station distraction technique over many years, and my bet it is deeply ingrained.
It is hard, AND you can do it.
How? Baby steps. Make yourself wait 1 minute to start playing your podcast. Do 1 slow eating game only today. Meditate of one minute.
Then build it up.
Let's discuss this in our coaching sessions.
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