When it comes to eating, moving, and living better, self-compassion can be a game-changer.
A study recently published in Nutrients helps explain why.
The researchers recruited 100 moms to fill out a series of online questionnaires about:
Self-compassion
Body esteem
Diet quality
Intuitive eating
Emotional eating
The scientists then analyzed this information to see if they could connect any dots.
As predicted, moms who scored higher on self-compassion were more likely to have a healthier relationship with food.
Their diets were higher quality.
They were more likely to be intuitive eaters.
They were less likely to experience emotional eating.
But here’s what’s really interesting: Mothers with higher levels of self-compassion also had more body esteem.
Self kindness is not self-indulgence or self-destructive pleasure seeking. You do things that nurture your body and your spirit. You take the time to realize that everyone has challenges, everyone makes mistakes and everyone occasionally feels down or inadequate, sometimes.
The take-home: Self-compassion may be the catalyst for boosting body esteem and making healthier habits more likely.
I challenge you to take the time to focus on the process.
Set a goal of living in accordance with your identities, values, goals and priorities and know the end is not actually the goal, it is the journey. If you focus on becoming more self-compassionate, you will start to understand that progress is a more compassionate way to move forward over the long term.
Carbonneau N, Holding A, Lavigne G, Robitaille J. Feel Good, Eat Better: The Role of Self-Compassion and Body Esteem in Mothers’ Healthy Eating Behaviours. Nutrients. 2021 Oct 30;13(11).
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