DEEP DIVE

Welcome to Losing the Mental Weight Month

Creating a calmer, more trusting relationship with food
This August in The Academy, we will explore the thoughts, emotions and expectations that may be making your relationship with food feel heavier, more burdensome or more daunting than it needs to be.

We know that food choices are influenced by far more than hunger and nutrition knowledge. Understanding those choices can be complex because self-trust, judgement, comparison, shame, past experiences and the attitudes and behaviours of the people around us can blur our understanding of what is really driving them.

Across four classes, we will look beneath the surface of familiar eating patterns, explore the emotional weight attached to food and develop ways of responding that allow eating to feel mentally lighter, clearer and freer.

Each week will also include a selection of journalling questions. You can complete whichever questions feel useful, either throughout the week or in one reflective session.

Thu 6 Aug at 12 noon
Having Your Own Back Around Food 

In this class, we will begin by exploring self-doubt, overwhelm and confusion around food, including the ways conflicting advice, rigid rules and the search for a perfect plan can weaken trust in our own decisions. We will look at what it means to support ourselves before, during and after a food choice, particularly when things do not go as intended, and consider how small, realistic commitments can help us rebuild self-trust.
 

Wed 12 Aug at 7.00 pm
Comparison, Judgement and Food Shame

In this class, we will explore how comparison, judgement and shame can influence eating, body image and our sense of progress. We will examine the labels we place on food, the conclusions we draw about ourselves and the ways harsh self-judgement can contribute to secrecy, rebellion and all-or-nothing behaviour. We will practise separating our choices from our identity and describing our experiences in ways that create greater understanding.

Tue 18 Aug at 12 noon
Making Peace with What Is 

In this class, we will focus on the stressful thoughts we have about food, our bodies and what has already happened. Using Byron Katie’s process of self-inquiry alongside familiar Academy mindset tools, we will question beliefs such as “I should not have eaten that” or “I should be further along” and explore how they affect our feelings and actions. We will practise accepting the facts of a situation, taking useful learning from it and deciding how we want to care for ourselves next.

Thu 27 Aug at 2 pm
Food, Family and Other People 

In this class, we will explore how our relationship with food has been shaped by other people, both earlier in life and today. We will consider the messages we have absorbed about food, appetite, weight and bodies, alongside the ways we may eat to please others, avoid conflict, manage difficult emotions or meet somebody else’s expectations. We will identify which choices belong to us and consider the boundaries and self-awareness that can help us remain connected with ourselves around other people.