Are You Satisfied?

I had an epiphany this week. 

I was listening to, On Our Best Behavior, by Elise Loehnen, on Audible and in her chapter about gluttony, she talks about diet culture and the impossible standards to which women are held (cue America Ferrera’s speech in the Barbie movie). 

Out of the whole chapter, one key word stood out: satisfied. 

I got to thinking and wondered, do you ever feel really satisfied? Or do you spend more time thinking about how much you feel unsatisfied in your life? Whether it’s your relationships, your kids, your career, the things you own or don’t own, your house, your car, the things you did or didn’t do, how your time is spent or how your body looks, there’s always something that could be better. 

Americans thrive on the idea that their value and worth can be achieved just around the corner. We’re all baked into a culture of strivers. What’s next? How can I better myself? There’s nothing wrong with dreams and setting goals. Even my guilty hand is raised as a closet self-help junkie. You and I are always trying to live the American dream, look like American models and act like we’re content, but are we? When does the nagging feeling of being unsatisfied go too far? When does it start to do more harm than good? 

According to our society, if we stop treating ourselves like a project to be fixed and perfected then there’s something wrong with us. Do you dare admit that you’re satisfied with your body? With your life? Do you realize that being unsatisfied with your body means you’ll very likely be unsatisfied at every meal and potentially many other areas of your life? Do you stop counting and weighing and measuring and let nature just take her course? Yes, yes you do. Because the alternative is a mind suck, sheer waste of time and utterly inhumane. 

This week, what if you told yourself that all is well, nothing has gone wrong and nothing needs to be fixed? 

While your email explodes with Black Friday sales and you’re making your 4th trip to the grocery store this week, try this little experiment with yourself. Commit to feeling satisfied with your life. Start at your plate and don’t leave the table until you feel physically and emotionally satisfied. It’s the best week to practice this, because, IMHO, nothing beats thanksgiving food. 

Once you’ve allowed yourself to be satiated at the table, practice being satisfied with the rest of your life. Your body, your house, your clothes, your car and everything else that’s you and yours. 

It feels scary to admit you’re satisfied because there’s nothing around the corner that you can hang your happiness hat on for safety. You have to find your happiness now, with what you currently have. There’s no illusion that something or some situation is your ticket to lasting happiness. 

I’m incredibly grateful that you let me into your email inbox each week and hope that being on this anti-diet journey has helped change your life in small and big ways. I appreciate you so much. 

Cheers to the holiday kick off and spending time with friends and family and taking time to savor all the things. 

Let me know how it feels to be truly satisfied in all the ways. 

My new book  is the perfect holiday gift for you and anyone you know ready to kick diet culture to the curb. Bye, Felicia!