I was sugar abstinent for a long time.
And yet I wasn’t free.
I was still turning to food to comfort. I was still soothing myself externally with food – even if it wasn’t sugar – instead of soothing myself internally with support, care, love and nurturing.
The inner work that I’ve been doing this year to soothe that hurt, scared, tender part of me has been incredibly healing. It’s what has helped me to separate from sugar in my heart – and not just in my actions.
It was the piece I avoided doing for many years. In fact, I avoided it by not eating sugar! I thought if I was sugar abstinent I would never want, crave or eat sugar again. But then life got super stressful. The old patterns were still in place, and I went back to sugar in an entire can of raisins.
I’d avoided facing my feelings because I was afraid. It wasn’t until I had no other choice – I had to address these deeper needs and feelings in order to stop bingeing – that I surrendered and faced what I’d been avoiding.
This practice of turning towards and caring for my feelings is how I’ve created an inner sanctuary and soothing. And it’s what has enabled me to recommit to my sugar free life – a sugar free life based on love, compassion, and kindness rather than fear, rigidity, control, and anxiety.
It’s a powerful difference – and one that I’d love to share with you. I talk about this new level of healing in the updated version Overcoming Sugar Addiction, as well as the follow up workbook, Becoming Binge Free.
What does being sugar free mean for you?
This is so good. So good and so true. I’m still learning how to soothe myself too. Working on it right now in fact!