Are You in Your Right Mind?

We have all heard the expressions “He is out of his mind” or “She is not in her right mind!” ”

When it comes to how we respond to food, these sayings have special significance.

Let me explain: Within all of us, live two natures. Two competing forces. We have the mind that is attached to our Human-ness, operating from our ego with our fears, our hurts, our kid with soul-tears. It’s the false self that we project to the world-a self that smiles and pretends everything is fine, while inside we are filled with hurt and fear and looking for something outside ourselves to fix us.

Our other mind is attached to our “Being-ness” i.e. God, Creator, Universe, Christ, mystery, breath, or whatever other name we choose to call our higher selves.

When you connect to your Being-ness are you in your true mind. When we choose to live connected to this source, we soar, feeling joy and happiness.

When we are not in our right minds we are connected to our human-ness; our ego, our addiction. Our ego steps out when we got knocked by something; someone judging us, being unkind or mean. We get scared and our ego wants nothing more than to seek out something outside our selves to soothe the feelings that frighten us.

If we don’t choose to connect to our Being-ness, we think food is a solution to our tiredness, loneliness or what ever other feeling we are trying to escape. In this state, we are much too tolerant of mind wandering. Our ego clamors in our heads until the incessant chatter leads to a cycle of circular thinking that tells us “Gotta get out of right here, right now.”Our own best thinking says “Food will fix it!”

I use the example of a two year old, happily playing outside in the dirt. Young children will pick up dirt and put in their mouths because they are not yet in their right mind. He/she hasn’t learned yet that dirt is not for eating! Just as we would say to the two year old “Stop-it!” we have to learn to say “Stop it” ourselves when our ego tells us that food is the answer.

 If I came to you and said that I had some heroin that I wanted to share with you, “really good stuff”, you would look at me like I was crazy and say “No way! I don’t do heroin!” Right? Are you nuts, are you out of your mind!”
When we are in our ‘right minds” this is the same reaction that we will have when it comes to food. We will look at that donut, cake, pie or cookie and say “No way!”

When we are in our right minds we have the power to rechoose ourselves and to stay connected to our Being-ness. The more we make this choice we will discover that it feels easy and effortless to choose ourselves instead of cancelling ourselves out with a plate of pasta. It’s pretty easy not to do heroin or eat dirt, isn’t it? Once we learn to connect to God, it will be just as easy when it comes to the food.

You just have to take the first step. It will take some “white-knuckling” for awhile but soon you will find yourself exclaiming adamantly “No way- I’m not eating _____ (fill in the blank!).

Will you re-choose YOU today and start living in your “right mind?”