Note: this article was originally written in April 2020, a month after the World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus pandemic.
The environmental setting
According to this article (https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/coronavirus-why-everyone-is-baking-their-way-through-the-pandemic.html), baking increased by a few hundred percent in the past few months. Well, I can confirm that many families I know (including my own) have certainly contributed to that huge jump.
Here's an example of the increased amount of baking my family has done the past 2 months (heck, we're still doing it).
Before COVID-19 quarantine, we used to buy a bag of 2kg/5lbs flour and it'd last for weeks. After the first 2 weeks of the lockdown, we finished a brand-new bag of flour (5kg/11lbs). There was a shortage of flour and we were able to buy only 1 bag of 10 kg/22lbs.
We initially thought it was going to last us half a year. Well, it doesn't. That's how much flour my family has used for baking and other food preparations for the past 2 months.
I don't remember having eaten more cookies, cakes, donuts, waffles, bagels, crepes, pancakes, quiches, pizzas and other pantries in my life. That's not to mention the pasta, spaghetti, and noodles. Oh, and the ice-cream too.
For some reason, we omitted the fries. Maybe because they’re from a vegetable? Lol.
Have you noticed they're all comfort foods?
In my opinion, our bodies crave comfort because it grieves the temporary loss of freedom. That's right, we live in unprecedented circumstances and our bodies become unsettled. They need to be comforted during this very unusual time and we obliged - consciously or unconsciously.
Just like everybody else, I gave in (heck I still do) to those comfort foods, but I didn't (and still don't) gain much weight.
This leads to the many online conversations, in networking meetings, I recently had with people about weight. They said they gained weight because of the increased carbohydrate intake which reminds me of my own situation a few years back.
Four years ago, when I still worked in the corporate world, I would be satisfied with my weight only if it was 54kg/120 lbs or less (I'm 1.63m/5'3"). That's 6kg/13lbs less than what I now weight at 60kg/133lbs.
I went from size M to L. Yet, I’m happier than ever with my body and weight. And, my clothes fit better.
What have I done to be in this positive emotional state about my weight & body confidence?
I’ve lived through what Brené Brown said: “You have to be seen as you are in order to be loved as you are.”
The work
I have taken the time to do the inner work, accepting & loving my body exactly as it is.
The inner work involved being grateful to my body for sticking out with me through thick and thin and trusting it knows what to do to keep it healthy.
One of the neat outcomes of the inner work is letting go of the dread I used to feel when it came to exercising. I berate myself much less when I go on for days without physical exercise. When I get back to doing it, although I struggle to keep up, I consciously choose not to hurt my body.
Before I started the inner work, I experienced so much pain in my body - both physical and emotional. I was stressed and overworked. I didn’t have a healthy diet. I ate loads of frozen foods back then due to lack of time.
It's liberating to arrive at the point of accepting the way my body looks wholeheartedly without judgement, assessment or evaluation.
That's the thing with inner work. It creates this trust and forgiving space with my body that it knows what to do to keep it healthy. It keeps what it needs from the foods and let go of what it doesn't.
Yes, the inner work is ongoing. However, it’s way easier, more convenient and cost-effective compared to diets.
The outcome
Yes, I'm talking about mindset for body image confidence.
I've gone through the weight battle. Although not by a ton in terms of size & number thanks to my petite size, I've been through the mental struggle of gaining and losing weight with diets. I understand how frustrating, demanding, and (in the end) disappointing it can be.
As you can see, Energy Psychology is effective at building body image's confidence and I'm living proof it works. I’m not saying it’s a walk in the park. It requires focus and persistence. But you’ve got plenty of that, don’t you?
Are you a working professional overwhelmed by your body's weight? Are you ready and committed to facing the emotional layers underneath your body's weight? Do you want to do something different, and do you want help accepting your body? I understand how you feel and the challenges you face.
Because I've gone through it, my energy is clear and expansive. I can hold space for others who desire to embark on a similar journey.
If you have group benefits coverage through your employer and have flexible health credits, my services may be covered.
Let's work together so sometime down the road this year, you can look back to 2020 and say "it was a crabby year because it had a virus, but I'm proud of myself coming out of it feeling good about my body." It’d be my privilege to work with you and help improve your body-image confidence. Click here and Book a free consultation which includes a mini session here.