Being Mindful About Nutrition Without Letting it Take Control

The topic of food can stir feelings of confusion and stress for many people. This phenomenon is not inexplicable, as maintaining a healthy lifestyle - mentally, physically, and emotionally - is an everyday practice on which everyone is constantly working.

Each person, from their earliest days, is encouraged to eat well, as doing so improves one’s health, holistically. This much is easy to comprehend. Even from a nonscientific point of view, it is not difficult to understand that eating an organic, nutritious diet can only improve one’s health in many ways. Where this subject gets tricky, though, is in consideration of the pressure that is placed on being “healthy”, both socially and individually.

This added component to our perception of health can often prove to be in direct conflict with the point of watching our food intake, as a whole. Finding the balance between health and harm is extremely difficult, specifically when it comes to our eating habits.

All over social media are beautiful images of fitness and lifestyle inspiration, eye-catching graphics warning us about the dangers of sugar, and “unedited” photos of flawless models telling us, without words, that the way we look is inadequate.

We have been trained to look at ourselves from the perspective of the world's harshest critic, multiplied by the amount of people who follow us on social media.

Needless to say, the pressure is immense, no matter who you are, what you look like, or what kind of lifestyle you live - everyone feels it. So where is the line between non-judgmental mindfulness and harmful, burdensome negativity?

This topic is one that is extremely complex and detailed. There is no perfect way to solve this problem, as everybody is different, and all of our minds and bodies work in different ways. But, at a general, widely applicable level, one solution to this internal conflict is to recognize that everything is impermanent, including these feelings and pressures.

When struggling with an activity that is necessary for your everyday survival, the stakes are certainly high, and seemingly inescapable. For many, watching one’s eating habits can feel like a trap. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. What we must continue to remind ourselves of is that circumstances always change, both externally and internally.

Additionally, it helps to know that the pressures that we may feel are also felt by countless others. This conflict is not unique. As we navigate our way through understanding our minds and bodies, we must remember to be patient with ourselves. After all, holistic health is an everyday practice, and every day is different than the one before it.