Reading time: 1 min Originally shared as part of Inbox Reflections — my weekday emails for highly sensitive women who are ready to stop binge eating. Most women in binge eating recovery have a challenging relationship with exercise. And as a Highly Sensitive Person, it’s likely there are extra layers of complexity for you… Maybe you’ve really pushed yourself in the past, exercising in ways that were too intense for you and further disconnected you from your body, all in the name of weight loss. Perhaps you feel guilty that you don’t do certain types of exercise simply because they don’t feel good to you. Or maybe thoughts about how you “should” be exercising stop you from moving your body as much. If so, there’s a recent piece of research into HSPs and their relationships with exercise that you might find insightful… The researchers found from those who took part (students and employees at a university in the USA, mostly female) that HSPs are just as likely to exercise as anyone else, but that they prefer less intense exercise. And that makes absolute sense knowing what we know about HSPs ✨ It’s just one small study, but it totally resonates with me. How about you? If so, I hope knowing this helps you to quieten the “but I should be…” thoughts, and enjoy moving your body the ways you like to!

Reading time: 1 min Originally shared as part of Inbox Reflections — my weekday emails for highly sensitive women who are ready to stop binge eating. Our world is so focused on weight, that it’s easy to forget that good health isn’t predominantly reliant on a number on the scales. It stretches across all of our systems; the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. And these systems all tie in together, impacting one another. Good health can include: A sense of safety Feeling calm around food An adaptive nervous system Acceptance of yourself A vivid imagination A good night’s sleep An active sex drive A connection to intuition An ability to express emotions A lack of aches and pains Strong boundaries Feeling inspired by life You get the idea… How might softening your focus on weight actually support your health? And where might your focus be more needed right now?

Reading time: 1.5 mins Originally shared as part of Inbox Reflections — my weekday emails for highly sensitive women who are ready to stop binge eating. There’s a game called “enough” that many of us are unknowingly playing but know the rules of all too well. The game where we believe that our bodies aren’t; Slim enough Toned enough Curvy enough Smooth enough Beautiful enough Anything else enough And so we do the aaaaall the things to reach that winning destination (the diets, workouts, fasts etc). But when we reach our goals, that sense of “enoughness” almost immediately disappears… We worry about losing what we’ve worked so hard to achieve, the body shape “trends” shift or we fixate on another part of our appearance. This reality hit me (again!) on the weekend when I was having breakfast in a London cafe and got talking to a couple of women at the table next to me. One of them told me that she’d never wear a sleeveless top, no matter how hot it was because she thought her arms were “too skinny”. This particular insecurity struck me because: She had the kind of body I would have once done anything for. So many women don’t like their arms for the opposite reasons - they think they’re too big or soft. And I felt so much compassion for all women in that moment because there is no winning. No matter how your body looks, if you’re participating in this game, you will feel insecure about something. I’m not saying that it’s bad or wrong for having moments of insecurity, we all will at times and that’s okay. What I am asking you is whether you’re willing to spend your life trying to get your body to look “enough”, when “enough” defined by this game doesn’t really exist? Are you willing to continue playing?

Reading time: 1.5 mins Originally shared as part of Inbox Reflections — my weekday emails for highly sensitive women who are ready to stop binge eating. There’s an outdoor swimming pool where I live that I went to a couple of times with friends when I was about 13. People come here to swim but also to hang out and lay in the sun. What I primarily remember about going back then is how insecure and judged I felt in my body. I was very conscious that my friends wore cute two-pieces and I had a one-piece - not that I would have wanted to show my tummy anyway. I felt mortified that boys from school were there and imagined them rating or comparing our bodies. And I wanted to implode with embarrassment at that dark hair on my legs. I moved back to my home area a couple of years ago and have found myself at this swimming pool plenty of times during the summers. And you know what? Two things have really struck me… 1. There are people there of all shapes and sizes who are unique and beautiful in their own way. Seeing women who may not have the “ideal” body we’re told to aspire to just getting on with their lives and enjoying themselves at the pool is incredibly healing. Yes, they probably have their insecurities too, but those insecurities aren’t stopping them! 2. Most of the judgement I felt before came from myself. When I now see other people’s bodies with a whole lot more love and compassion, it’s easier to see my own in the same way. I also realise that when I’m telling myself that my body isn’t good enough to be seen, I’m essentially saying that about other people’s bodies. When I question whether that is true the answer is always “of course not!”, in which case, that can’t be true for myself either. I'm basically saying that your local pool is likely a great place to expose yourself to the realities of what most people’s bodies actually look like, and that you’re as worthy as anyone else of baring all and enjoying yourself!

Binge eating recovery for your spirit. A short read from Lucy Newport. Learn more.