You Are What You Eat

Be careful of what you consume

My husband and I started binge-watching Game of Thrones around the New Year and today, we just wrapped up Season 5. That’s 50 hours so far and I’m not sure if I can make it through three more seasons. While I love fantasy and drama, I am not into the level of gore and violence the show portrays. We are years late to the Game because of my hesitancy just hearing about what to expect from the show. I finally gave in and agreed to watch it. I should have listened to my gut.

Logo for the show taken from Wikipedia

My husband and I watched three episodes on Friday night after Valentine’s Day dinner. Today was a rainy and snowy day so we settled in to watch five more to finish the season. As we ended our mini-marathon, we both had to take deep breaths. We talked about how heavy the show is, and how the violence has remained in my mind’s eye long after each episode. Not just the visuals but the language and the words have become engrained in me. It’s like I can’t forget about it. I even had a dream about an especially violent image last night!

After we talked to soothe our minds and hugged our dog to calm our racing hearts, we agreed to take a break before diving into the next season. He ended up going for a long walk while I took to writing about it.

Writing is my tried and true healing technique so this post is my attempt to process the thoughts and feelings of today and I hope it can be helpful for you as the reader.

You Are What You Eat

You are what you eat highlights the idea that you become what you consume. Drinking poison, like alcohol, is detrimental to the body. If we eat an unhealthy diet with highly processed or high-sugar foods, then we are likely to damage our bodies from the inside leading to poor physical health.

The adage that you are what you eat is true for all the things we consume.

It makes sense and seems obvious but how often are we thinking about what we consume as something that impacts our entire life, not just our physical health? What we take in influences our minds, our perceptions, and our relationships with ourselves and others.

Our fears are molded out of what we spend time listening to and watching. We eat up the sound bites and it can turn our hearts to stone. We ingest headlines without considering the context. We devour entertainment news and it blocks our ability to think critically.

We all know the negative toll the media, especially social media, can have on our lives. I’ve been writing about this for the last few weeks as I keep struggling with watching the news and reading about the state of affairs in America. I recognize the effect of scrolling and gobbling up each new news story. My heart rate almost immediately quickens as I imagine the people and communities impacted by the newest orders. The more I learn about what’s going on, the more my outrage builds, the more helpless I feel, and the more I fear the future.

But as my husband always reminds me: Faith over Fear. I try to come back to faith each time I spiral. It’s not easy, but a practice. Writing helps. Yoga helps. Talking it out with others, including a therapist, helps.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

I’ve been scrolling less this week and weekend with so much time spent on the realms of men within the Game of Thrones. I had thought this distraction would help ease my mind away from the drama of the real world but it is just another form of violence, infecting my mind with pain and sorrow. I’m still consuming hate. I’m watching terrible things being done to human beings and listening to people call each other vile names and treat others horribly.

The show has made me consider the nature of human beings as evil rather than good. I know it’s not real. I know it is just a story - but it’s making my heart speed up and then sink in sadness, similar to the way I feel after scrolling and seeing the news. It makes me angry. I snapped at my husband when he returned from his walk, simply because that irritation was still inside me.

Anything we choose to ingest impacts our energy.

Why would I choose to take in something that I know won’t make me feel good in the end? Damn, that question hits the mark! There’s a lot to unpack there.

• I’m still casually eating dairy and gluten, two foods that I know swell my insides and show up as pain in my joints, skin irritation, and lethargy. Why?

• I continue to struggle with social media, even with weeks of reflecting and journaling about the negative impacts on my mind, body, and soul. Why?

Good questions often don’t have easy answers. I certainly don’t have the answers to these questions.

After writing this though, I do feel a bit better. Now that I’m ending this post, I plan to meditate and write my gratitude list before bed and get some good sleep before heading to a yoga class in the morning. Tomorrow will be a day of adulting so I won’t have too much time to scroll or watch GOT. I’m not sure if I even want to finish the series. I told my husband I’d happily just read the show notes to see the conclusion of the characters and plotlines but he checked and we have just 23 hours left until it ends. We’re invested.

I find it hard to stop something once I start, even if I know it’s not good for me. Why?

Journal Prompts:

1. Consider all the things you consume and how each one impacts your mind, body, and soul. Make a list of each thing you give your energy to and how it influences your energy in return.

2. When your anxiety and outrage spiral, what are some strategies you do to soothe your mind and soul? How do you, or how don’t you, live the mantra Faith Over Fear?

3. Write out as many answers to this question as you can: Why would I choose to take in something that I know won’t make me feel good? Be like a curious 3-year-old and keep asking yourself why after each sentence to continue to dig deeper.

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Write to Heal Retreat - March 29

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Write to Heal Community Circle

Join me for my next FREE gathering on Tuesday, February 25 from 745pm-830pm EST on Zoom. We'll begin with some deep breaths and body awareness, then spend 5 minutes each on 5 prompts all focused on self-discovery. We’ll end with a community share circle. No writing experience is necessary!

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Write to Heal Community Circle - February 25

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I’d love to hear if you watched Game of Thrones and what you thought of it (no spoilers please - just your thoughts on how it made you feel). Join me in the comments or chat to share your thoughts.