Overthinking food is a hard limit for me.
That doesn’t mean I don’t think about it deeply, especially if I’m having some symptoms, but no overthinking.
Overthinking = Anxious, analytical, circular, perhaps critical.
Deep thinking = Objective yet gentle, solution-oriented, self-loving.
I used to think about food ALL. DAY. LONG.
It was a huge energy drain.
Things like:
What I had eaten so far…
How what I ate might affect my body…
What I was “allowed” to eat for the rest of the day…
What I would eat tomorrow…
How I should be eating…
… it goes on.
So how did I go from overthinking food to having an easy relationship with food?
The biggest change I made was committing 100% to intuitive eating, nearly 10 years ago.
Today I’m committed to my body’s innate knowing and feedback, rather than a set plan.
All foods are on the table, and all of my body’s requests are valid.
That means I no longer entertain diets, and I don’t seek out new ways of eating that include hard rules or cut out specific foods.
That doesn’t mean I always eat everything.
This is what I always say: I eat everything, but I don’t eat everything all the time.
If I notice that something like gluten or dairy is clearly bothering my stomach or triggering other symptoms, I may pause it, but always under the premise that I can have it any time my body truly wants it.
Your body does not truly want things that cause pain or other discomfort.
Eating things that don’t work for your body is not intuitive eating.
In fact, it’s the opposite of intuitive eating.
This is the difference between impulse and intuition.
Your brain might jump at familiar foods, but your intuition often has something else to say.
Today I’m going to share five of the specific tools I used to support myself in my transition to intuitive eating, and that helped me stop overthinking food.
Here are five tools to stop overthinking food and create a new relationship with food and your body:
1. Brain dumps.
If you’re familiar with new age manifestation, you’ve probably heard that you should avoid speaking and thinking negatively.
I used to be afraid of writing out my negative thoughts, anxieties, or fears, because I thought I would manifest them.
This is not the case.
Writing out your worries and fears gives them space to live outside your brain.
It releases all that overthinking and tension from your body.
Start a practice of a 5-10 minute brain dump every night, where you just write out what’s on your mind – no rules.
Afterward, write a list of things you want to do the next day. This helps a lot with sleep, too.
If you want to take it a step further and it feels cathartic, you can tear up or burn your brain dump.
2. Brain training.
Scripting is a great practice for forming new neural pathways aka new ways of thinking, and therefore new ways of being and operating.
After your brain dump, write out a few autosuggestions, as if they were already your reality.
For example:
“I’m so happy and grateful my relationship with food is easy and light. I’m so happy and grateful my mind is calm and loving. I’m so happy and grateful I feel grounded and clear in my body.”
These should be completely customized to you, and exactly how you want to feel and be in your body, and in the world.
If you’re going through a rough period or just want to give yourself extra support, you can do scripting both morning and night.
I find that it immediately changes my state.
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, go smaller and softer – i.e. script on what you need today, rather than big manifestations that feel out of reach at this moment.
Sometimes we need to take baby steps when we’re creating something new, otherwise the brain and nervous system may get overwhelmed and give up or self-sabotage.
When you keep your scripting believable, you build momentum with small wins, as you watch your thoughts and actions change.
3. Meditation.
Meditating allows your brain to slow down.
It changes your brain waves from “beta,” the state where you’re overthinking, to “alpha,” the state where you’re relaxed, and where creativity flows.
Meditating for just 10 minutes a day can help decrease overthinking.
After my morning stretches and kundalini breathwork, I simply sit cross legged with my hands on my knees, focusing on my breath for 10 minutes, and gently returning to a simple mantra of “so hum” when my mind wanders.
Do a little research and feel into what style of meditation you’re drawn to.
4. Movement.
Moving your body flushes out stress hormones that can perpetuate overthinking, and helps with emotional processing.
For example, when your cortisol is high, your body is on alert, looking out for danger.
This can increase overthinking and negative thinking.
Going for a walk, doing 20 minutes of yoga, or going for a bike ride can help balance out stress hormones and decrease mental chatter.
5. Evaluate caffeine.
Caffeine makes your brain work faster for a brief time.
It doesn’t actually give you energy – it triggers your stress response, mobilizing adrenaline and muscular strength to help you respond to perceived danger.
This is how caffeine gives the illusion of energy, and why it can make you feel like things are moving a mile a minute.
Over the long term, too much caffeine can lead to exhaustion and burnout – the other side of the high.
Everyone has a different caffeine tolerance, but if you tend to experience a lot of overthinking and anxiety, it’s worth exploring decreasing or pausing caffeine.
You might tolerate tea or cacao better, which give a lift without the same level of stress and anxiety.
Keep in mind that tea and cacao can be overstimulating too, so if you’re still experiencing a lot of overthinking, it may be worth it to pause caffeine altogether.
These five practices to stop overthinking food have changed the fabric of who I am:
They’ve changed how I think, how I feel, the opportunities I attract, and how I operate in the world.
I am deeply grateful for them.
Do you find yourself overthinking food, to the point where it feels overwhelming or obsessive?
I get it, I’ve been there, and I hope these tools help you!
Much love,
Lula