How would you survive, Auschtwitz?

I recently finished reading Victor Frankl's book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning.’

It’s a powerful read into the human psyche.

And it highlighted several points that demonstrate what the human mind is capable of.

Victor was an Auschwitz survivor.

He lived through the brutal treatment inflicted upon the humans enslaved in the camps and lived within horrors that not even our worst nightmares could conjure.

Yet, as one of the few survivors of this experience, he didn’t cave into suicide like many around him.

It’s a gripping account of how humans can do the most vile things to each other, yet others can be compassionate.

How we use our minds determines what we experience.

In the cultures and society we live in today, we hardly have experiences close to Frankl’s.

Yet, we still struggle with motivation, focus, or willpower.

What if there were reserves of strength and power within us?

What if we were barely scratching the surface of our potential?

What if there was more to us than we ever could imagine?

It’s up to us to find out and be curious about this.

Lesson: Life starts once we fully own who we are and want to become.

Here's Your 5 Minute Friday:

#1.) The Truth Behind Emotional Eating

Eating emotionally is a part of most of our lives.

Due to poor environments, poor mentors/parents, or poor habits, we’ve learned to use food to cope with stress and emotions.

But why?

Food is an emotional process.

It’s deeply connected to our roots as humans and social animals.

And there are a lot of positive emotions that are derived from the eating experience.

However, without a solid base of positive emotional habits (like meditation, self-reflection, or even eating slowly), it can be easy to substitute eating emotionally instead of facing how we feel in the moment.

Eating food in itself is an emotional process because we, as humans, are emotional beings.

Separating our emotions from our food would be like trying to remove our hands from our bodies.

They both go together.

Yet, eating emotionally and being unconscious of WHY we’re doing this can lead to challenges.

Avoiding these unhelpful problems is what maturity and ownership are all about.

The right techniques can help reclaim your health, power, and freedom.

#2.) The NNR Technique

Enter the NNR Technique.

N - notice

N - name

R - respond

Introduced by Precision Nutrition, one of the world’s leading nutrition education companies, the NNR technique has been proven in countless case studies to rewire eating patterns

Why?

Because you’re shining consciousness directly on the problem.

So here’s how it works:

#1) Whenever you feel emotionally driven to eat, pause for 1 minute.

NOTICE what you’re feeling.

Is it anger? Frustration? Sadness? Happiness?

What are you noticing?

Any sensations or feelings in your body? Where?

#2) Once you notice this for 1 minute, name it.

Name the sensation or feeling.

Give it a name.

‘You are my stress’ or ‘You are my sadness’.

Honor the name and how you feel for 30 seconds.

This will take willpower.

However, willpower is a muscle, so the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

#3) Lastly, choose the response you want to make here in the next 30 seconds.

Are you going to eat out your stress and devour the 6 donuts?

Or are you worthy and deserving of a different response here?

The question here is - do you react unconsciously, or do you choose to respond consciously?

If you can do this 2 or more times in a row, you've officially started to create a new habit (according to James Clear).

Do this for 65 days, and you have an ingrained habit.

Acknowledge your progress here and use a journal to note what change you notice about yourself.

There will be insights that will emerge about yourself, and it’s useful to keep a written log of your growth.

#3.) Build a System

The NNR technique isn’t time-consuming.

It’s only 2 minutes long when you stick to the timeframe.

The goal of this exercise isn’t to overwhelm you but rather empower you.

Studies repeatedly show that successful humans make decisions fast and change them slowly, if ever.

The opposite is true for unsuccessful people who make decisions slowly and change them often.

Decide on your health rapidly and decisively.

Every time you feel triggered or emotional, STOP AND REMEMBER THIS STATEMENT:

‘You are not your emotions. You are not your thoughts. You are more than this. You are a worthy human who deserves to live your best life.

Honor yourself with every thought, word, and action’.

Pass this reminder along and share on Instagram. ​

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One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Every day is a building block.

So, what are you building today? 🙂

- Gabriel

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