Embodied Self Counseling, Erin Grumley LPC

Diet Culture: What Is It and How Do We Escape it?

Take a moment... The holidays can be stressful for so many reasons... In this moment right now, and take a breath or two. Relax your jaw. Let your shoulders fall from your ears. Get back to the present. Let your mouth start to smile. ... Now....how are you feeling?

If there is one thing I've learned from this pandemic, it's how important it is to me to find was to move my body. I'm not just talking raise my heart beat and break a sweat time of movement. Yeah, there are definitely sometimes that's exactly what I'm looking for. But other times movement can look like a deep stretch yoga class, a walk to the end of my street and back, or a leisurely walk in a park with a (masked-up) friend. It may even be a 10 min dance break between cl...ients. Movement can be a huge stress-reliever for me. But not for everybody. For some, movement can become compulsive. Others want to reject movement all together. So often, in each of these scenarios, movement is seen only as a means to an end...a way to change your body. And of course that's the case...that's what diet culture, this culture we all exist in, would have us believe. Enter: Intuitive Movement In eating disorder recovery, we often talk about healing our relationship with food and body. But we also need to heal our relationship with movement. We need to uncouple movement and weight loss and begin to find ways to move our body that bring us joy. And just like with intuitive eating, it's important that we are also checking in with our body to see what it needs, what your energy levels are, and always checking back in about your intentions behind the movement. It's not easy. Everywhere there are messages saying the exact opposite. Ask for support, set boundaries with others, and let yourself take the day off if you need to. This isn't a set of rules to follow...it's a permission slip to listen to your body and do what feels good for it today, in this moment. What kind of movement brings you joy? Are you practicing intuitive movement? Tell me about it in the comments! : @Sarajane Herrmann Photography

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is having full day of baking with my mom. Today is that day! By the end of the day, I can safely say I will have taste tested at least 6 different kinds of cookies plus our family's traditional meat pie. But imagine if I had invited diet culture to this special day. I would not be able to enjoy it in the same way. I would have all sorts of "I shouldn'ts" swirling in my head and the guilt would ruin the fun.... Here's the thing. I"m not here to tell you to eat the cookie. If you love cookies, yes, ABSOLUTELY eat that cookie. What I'm really here to say is to make sure diet culture isn't ruining your fun. Tell the eating disorder voice it isn't invited. Listen to your body. This is your permission slip to nourish your body without conditions or rules dictating what you have. Eat what makes you feel good, what makes you feel joy, and whatever it is that you enjoy! Shoulds and shouldn'ts have no place at the table this holiday season! : @sarajaneherrmannphotography

I've been thinking a lot about holiday treats. One, that probably because that's all that is around my house right now. But two, they've been on my mind because I've noticed that we are all on an unhealthy binge and restrict cycle with these holiday foods. For so many foods associated with the holidays, this is the only time of the year we get them. For example, my ABSOLUTE favorite chocolates to keep around the house are truffle kisses. The problem is, these kisses are... only for sale between Thanksgiving and Christmas and are not always the easiest things to find. The first bag I bought this season was gone before I noticed. Whoops! So, from then on, I have bought 3 bags at a time any time. I have a stockpile of truffle kisses to last me for a while. You know what I noticed when I started doing that? The bags are lasting a whole lot longer. I don't crave them as much because my body and mind trust that those kisses will be there (for a while at least) and I don't need to eat them all before they are gone. What's your favorite Christmas treat to buy during the holiday season? Do you stock up like I did? : @sarajaneherrmannphotography

Ugh....it happened again. I just went down yet another rabbit hole of articles about productivity. Planners to increase productivity...the best apps for promoting productivity...new tips to be your more productive self. None of these are bringing anything new and groundbreaking to the table. And none will end up replacing the system that has worked for me since starting private practice. But that doesn't stop me from clicking.... We put so much pressure on ourselves to be productive all of the time. To glorify the hustle. And to wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. In no uncertain terms, we are allowing productivity to define our worth. STOP DOING THAT! I say this to clients almost daily. I say this to MYSELF almost daily as well. This is putting us all on the fast track to burnout (if you are not already there) and it's not sustainable. You know what all of those article I read are missing? It's the real secret juice to productive days....taking days off. Resting. Practicing self-care. Setting boundaries with work, especially those of you working from home. And practicing self-compassion rather than self-berating when our days don't look like we had hoped. Sure, the hustle is part of the game...but the hustle only matters if you are ALSO resting and recovering. : @sarajaneherrmannphotography

When's the last time you had a good laugh? I'm not talking about a closed mouth smile and chuckle. But I'm talking a throw your head back, wide open mouth belly laugh. Or a laugh until you cry and can't breathe kind of laugh. They are life-giving. They are healing. Seriously, think about it? What was it? What was happening? I'm going to guess that for most of us, it's been too long. I know for most, those real laugh-without-abandon sort of moments happen unexpectedl...y, hanging out with our closest friends. We can't plan them. Seeing as I spend most days at home right now, it leaves little room to have these moments. Now think about that moment again. Do you remember how you felt afterwards? Content. Happy. Relaxed. Belonging. Loose. Gratitude. Present. Grounded. What you probably aren't feeling? Stressed. Tight. Anxious. Overwhelmed. It's hard to let loose and laugh like that when your head is somewhere else. Emilly Nagoski, author of Burnout, talks about how these moments are one of many ways we can complete our stress cycle. Completing that stress cycle is crucial for our well being. It gives our body permission to "shake it off" and get out of our fight or flight response. We can't plan our belly laughs, but we sure can let ourselves lean in and embrace them when they come. All in the name of our own mental health. Tell me about a time you really let your guard down and had a really good laugh! : @sarajaneherrmannphotography

Today on the blog: 4 Tips for Fighting the Good Fight Against Diet Culture this Holiday Season!

Have you read Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle yet? If not, what are you waiting for??? This book made me feel seen. I knew I wasn't experiencing a work-burnout situation, but I was just feeling this sense of ugh everywhere and it was making it hard to get the simple things in life done. Putting laundry away, mailing Christmas cards, replying to that text (sorry friends...I promise it's not you, it's me). And it's only getting worse the longer the pandemi...c drags on. This book not only highlighted why we are feeling this sort of burnout, but it also gave suggestions for those already feeling this way on how to get past it and how to protect ourselves from it happening again. We are living in a burnout culture. Womxn especially are at risk for experiencing some level of burnout because of our socialization growing up. And all of it is exasperated by our current conditions. But as the writer, Emily Nagoski, reminds us....there is another way to do this and we don't have to feel this way. Have you read Burnout? If yes, have you actively made changes as a result of what you read? : @Sarajane Herrmann Photography

Dancing into holiday break like... : @sarajaneherrmannphotography

Today on the blog... As an eating disorder therapist, I have often been asked about the benefits of hiring an eating disorder coach and how hiring a coach is different than seeing their therapist. To best answer that question, I thought it would be a great idea to ask my friend (and favorite eating disorder coach) @caseyurban to share about the work she does and how adding a coach to your treatment team could be a huge addition to your recovery process. Check out the link in bio to read more!