Have you heard of the 90 Second Rule? This is something you can use in order to actually feel your feelings (instead of pushing them down) and then consciously make a choice that is from your highest self, rather than your shitty default programming you’ve been working with for years!
Let’s take overeating and/or emotional eating as an example today. Do you ever…
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Ever find yourself reaching for something sweet or indulgent anytime you’re going through a hard time? (Aka using food to numb yourself of unwanted emotions)
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Are you familiar with reaching for a snack when you’re sitting on the couch as you try to find a TV show to watch?
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Do you need more than one hand to count the times you’ve eaten out because a friend or coworker invited you to lunch or Sunday brunch?
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Is there a certain day you routinely pop open a bag of chips or candy?
If you said YES to any of the above, it’s time to interrupt this negative pattern and enter the world of food freedom.
But let’s be honest, for starters, I have been guilty of saying YES to all of the above which at their core mean using food in unhealthy ways to –
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Numb your feelings
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Entertain yourself when you’re bored
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Fit in with others
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Mindlessly eat out of routine rather than necessity
Again, I have been through all of these before and never stopped to listen to my body and check-in with myself. It felt like a never-ending cycle that I could not break. Enter the 90 second rule!
Here’s how to get started. Use my 90 second rule! The 90 second rule works because when we experience a feeling or emotion, it only takes 90 seconds for us to feel it and allow it to pass. By sitting with yourself for a full 90 seconds, it stops you from reaching for food, it interrupts the pattern and it allows you to be in control of your choice. These are the steps –
✖️Whenever you feel like you’re itching to eat something, stop and be still for 90 seconds to check in with yourself. ⠀
✖️Feel the feeling you are trying to ignore. Is it stress? Worry? Sadness? Boredom?
✖️Ask yourself what you need- do you really need food or do you need to have a conversation, go for a walk, take a shower… do something that continues to interrupt your “normal pattern.”⠀
✖️Repeat as many times as needed. ⠀⠀
At first, this will be challenging and it should be, you’re trying to break years of programming! With practice, it will get easier and you will start to see and feel the results. Plus, you can use this in all areas of your life, not just food! If this hit home for you today and you are going to try this, for sure HIT REPLY and let me know!
