Posts Tagged self esteem

Phase I Weekend Workshop Feedback; February 20 – 22nd, 2009

Posted by on

Phase I Weekend Workshop FeedbackHello All!

We had such a great time at the Phase I workshop this weekend! I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to spend an intensive amount of time with a group of women who were so ready to move through their use of food to cope and to tackle the underlying triggers. It was a great treat for me and I want to extend a thank you to each of the participants for your sharing and support of each other. I’d like to share with the rest of you some of the feedback from the participants of this past weekend workshop. If you’ve been to a Phase I before, then these insights are bound to bring back some memories! If you’ve never been, perhaps it will give you a sense of what you might achieve in joining me for our next Phase I workshop which will be held May 29 – 31, 2009 in Victoria. So, read on and imagine the possibilities! Love Michelle. “I really appreciate hearing from others in a group setting. I got far more than I expected out of the workshop. I do not feel like there is anything missing. I have been given all the pieces to be effective and make lasting changes. Everyone was given what they needed and got lots of one on one time. I honestly couldn’t suggest one single thing that would have made the weekend here more complete and satisfying. I thank you from my heart that I had this opportunity.” (more…)

Tags: , , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self, The Law of Attraction, Tips for Natural Eating

Leave a Comment (0) →

Tina’s Journey: Ads on the Web Relating to Unplugging My Drill Sergeant

Posted by on

Tina’s Journey

Tina’s Journey

By Tina Budeweit-Weeks (For more on Facebook, link to Time Colonist article HERE)

The ads on Facebook are starting to pique my interest because it seems that they are representational of the mindset that the artificial intelligence of the website has decided I am. As a result of the combination of my age and female gender, I see that I am expected to have fears and concerns that they then address. I’m sure that if my profile contained things for the horsie set, or the Nascar set or the WWF set, it would reflect accordingly, but in my case, its grown more and more interesting to me, as I write the articles for this publication and others relating to body image that this vein of concerns is what comes up for me in the ads on webpages I frequent. That’s the long winded way of saying that I am concluding that I am supposed to be concerned about my youthful appearance, which, by the time a woman is my extreme age of 52, should be heading to the wrinkly end of things. (more…)

Tags: , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self, The Law of Attraction

Leave a Comment (1) →

Values Part I by Michelle Morand

Posted by on

Values Part I by Michelle Morand Hello and welcome to the CEDRIC Centre on-line community. If you like what you read make sure you register for our free on-line newsletter so you can receive weekly updates and articles that will support you to be the best that you can be in all ways!

 

I was thinking the other day about what would happen if everyone took a moment to really look at their values. I mean, really explore what it is they believe is most important to them. I’m guessing that things like honesty, integrity, authenticity, reliability, respect for yourself and others, and family would top the list.

But what if you then asked yourself “What am I actually modeling to myself and to others as the most important things in my world?” “What do I focus on most?” “What goals/pursuits take most of my time and energy?”

I’m guessing the list of actual values would be quite different; at least somewhat different. That’s okay, we’re only human. We can’t know what we don’t know. And some of us have never stopped to ask ourselves these questions before. (more…)

Tags: , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self

Leave a Comment (0) →

Tina Budeweit-Weeks, CEDRIC correspondent here:

Posted by on
Tina Budeweit-WeeksWeekly, I take a couple of hours that I set aside specially, to peruse the internet to find sites that support the process of CEDRIC participants. I figure if its interesting to me, as I too, consider myself a 100% participant, it likely will resonate with some of our readers as well. This week, I found a fabulous site that links databases around women’s alternative health. Especially interesting is the entire listing I found for guided imagery, or what I am accustomed to referring to as ‘guided meditations’, a wonderful tool for overcoming strife and tension. (That doesn’t involve food or exercise!) ‘Women’s Mind/Body Health’ is the link to resource this with another link on that page leading to where to access the books and tapes that one can benefit from by listening and reading more about it. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self, Tips for Natural Eating, Uncategorized

Leave a Comment (0) →

Tandem Healing by Tina Budeweit

Posted by on Tandem Healing by Tina BudeweitThere is something profoundly significant in the support of friendships. When we have someone or a few trustworthy and beloved someones who know us, have history with us, and have a wish to help us, we are miles ahead of those who don’t. I was thinking, on my journey to wellness, how much easier it would be to get more motivated to get out if I have a friend who would be willing to go for walks out in the green spaces of the region with me. Then, as I was sitting on my balcony with my first coffee, in the early morning fogginess, pondering the vista of Esquimalt harbour in front of me, that led me to thinking … what about ‘tandem healing’? Not just the healing of friendships or having a friend badger you to get off your duff and get out with them so you get more physically active, but how about having a friend who also has ‘issues’ that they want to have re-aligned, go into the CEDRIC community and process the literature and workshops together? Of course, it would require the patience needed of the other to give them the time and space to do the work that is individual to each of the friend’s healing process, but doesn’t it make sense that if friendship and camaraderie in a trusted environment is healing, then taking an intentional path together toward wellness would not only expedite the individual healing process through the support available, but wouldn’t that tandem healing also deepen the friendship? Two eagles fly by me as I write this and I see it as an omen. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self, Uncategorized

Leave a Comment (1) →

Be Your Own Valentine!

Posted by on Be Your Own Valentine!It’s almost Valentine’s day! Those of you in a loving partnership are probably quite excited at the prospect of some romance with your sweetheart. Those of you in a troubled or distant relationship are probably feeling some sense of longing and you may be hoping that this special day will bring you closer together. Those of you in no partnership at all are probably in one of two camps: Camp 1, you have a solid love relationship with yourself and so you’re excited at the prospect of treating yourself to some fabulous things as an expression of your self-love. Or Camp 2, you’re anxious and annoyed that this day even exists and wish that you could just skip it – that the world could just forget about it and then you wouldn’t have to feel so lonely and be reminded, yet again, that you have not yet found that special someone. This article is for you number 2’s! It is also for any of the rest of you who would like to enhance your relationship with yourself and in so doing, strengthen all your connections with others – you see, the greater your self-esteem and self-love, the easier all of your relationships become because you are more solid and grounded and respecting of yourself; you’re also more solid and grounded with others within your relationships. Below are ten suggestions of things you can do to really show yourself that you love and care for you; to show yourself that you believe you are worthy of love and connection even if you haven’t yet found that special someone. Even if you and your sweetheart are experiencing some distance right now, this is applicable. If you’d like to enhance your relationship with yourself, consider committing to following through with at least one of the suggestions for yourself. While you’re working on this, offer yourself this mantra: “I am worthy of love and approval. I offer myself love and approval for no reason at all, just because I exist.” Top Ten List of Things You Can Do To Love Yourself (more…)

Tags: , , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self, Uncategorized

Leave a Comment (0) →

Self Love

Posted by on Self Love Perhaps I am not the best person to be writing on relationships today. My own ‘life’ partnership ended last week. Actually, it ended in the summer, it just spent the fall and winter decaying and last week turned to dust. No, I’m probably not the best person to be writing on relationships; not if you would like to hear something about how the knowledge and wisdom I have about relationships and self-awareness means that I never have problems in my romantic partnership or how, because I no longer struggle with food and weight issues, everything is always hunky dory in my world. Don’t we all carry those fantasies somewhere within: That everything will be great if I could only get a grip on my food and my weight? I certainly did. I absolutely believed that the only thing standing between me and absolute bliss was my weight. Well…..not quite. You see, my weight and my binging behaviour were only the outer manifestations of my inner turmoil. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self, Uncategorized

Leave a Comment (2) →

Tina’s Relationship with Self: The Drill Sergeant Within

Posted by on Tina's Relationship with SelfI think that the CEDRIC philosophy works because it is based on good common sense. Our February theme for the Blog and Newsletter is ‘relationships' and in keeping with this all important theme I'm addressing an important relationship with myself . It is vital for us to build a sound relationship with ourselves as well as looking at our relationships with others. Here is a bit of sharing about how I have dealt with my relationship with myself where my 'inner critic' or 'drill sergeant' is concerned. The one component of CEDRIC teachings that rings most true with me at this part of my process is the ‘drill sergeant'. The negative voice that used to taunt me constantly when I was in my weakest hours is quieter now that I have done the work that is necessary to allow myself more nurturing and respect from within, but the change required some effort. That endless negative commentary in the back of our heads wants us to think that it is echoing the conclusions of all who you come in contact with. If you are a person given to worrying about what other's think, it can really get a good hold of your psyche and be leveling when it comes to our trying to remain strong and grounded and take good care of ourselves.

Core Beliefs and the Drill Sergeant - What a relationship there!

When I first began my work at quieting the drill sergeant within, I had to look at the foundation of my self-esteem because that's where the good old Drill Sgt. gets all his material! Core beliefs are just that because they form the nucleus of who we are. What I've learned from exploring the CEDRIC Centre's approach to healing is that most of us who find that life stress sends us running to food to cope have been unconsciously buying into harmful old Core Beliefs. Those beliefs were often imposed on us by people in our past who were responsible for our maturation and development, and we unwittingly accepted those imposed beliefs as law without questioning them and their validity. As children that's impossible to expect of ourselves, we just don't have the awhem with a set of Core Beliefs that accurately portray who we are now.areness, but as adults, we can revisit those old stories we're still carrying and, if we choose, replace them. Imagine driving a car based on what we've been told what others think about driving rather than learning the nuts and bolts of where the ignition is, what the steering wheel does. If we are simply told what to think about driving and then given the keys, we would still be at a loss as to how to make the car function, yet in our daily lives, we accept imposed beliefs much more vital than the information on how vehicles function, as gospel, and then try to function in our lives, basing everything on those old stories. It doesn't work. In my case, I would let that rude drill sergeant berate me about my inability to cope, which made me feel weak, made me tend to falter and before I knew it, that diminishing judgment had become a self-fulfilling prophecy and I would seek to self-anesthetize to keep from feeling like even more of a failure. There's an old maxim I once found in a tea box that was affixed to my fridge door for years. It says ‘If you do what you always done, you get what you always got'. I have learned that this applies so well to the healing process around binging, restricting, purging, drinking and any other form of coping. The CEDRIC program really helps me see that awareness is not enough. While it is a key component of healing, awareness of the problem without new tools for how to deal with it is often more harmful than good because it exposes our pain without showing us how to move through it. Tools for change and the support to change have to be a part of the process we undergo or we wind up spinning our wheels and never achieving a life that is free from thinking one needs escapes at all costs such as eating disorders. So I embraced a bit of change by letting myself become open to new ideas. By addressing my core beliefs, restructuring them to serve me rather than those who were once trying to impose a set of beliefs that would inflict their control upon me, a wondrous thing has happened. I've developed a healthy drill sergeant. In fact, the voice inside me now is so distant from the drill sergeant it is hard to believe it was ever disrespectful or diminishing. The voice I hear inside most of the time now, is not even vaguely related to that judgmental, authoritarian sapper of esteem it once was. Now that I'm clear about what I want to believe about myself; what I know to be true, I have made peace with that harsh internal critic and it's as if this has caused my ‘Drill Sergeant' to turn over a new leaf too. In fact, I was thinking that it's not really descriptive of my internal dialogue to refer to it as such a corporal entity when now my inner voice is one of self-support and nurturing. Sure, when I am feeling overwhelmed, I might try to impose that ‘Drill Sergeant' upon myself as a knee jerk response because that was my prior way of coping, and an old, ingrained habit, but I now recognize the red flag like it's a belled cat and I'm a mouse determined to survive. I head that internal emotional vampire off at the pass, replacing it with my kinder, more benevolent TRUE inner voice, the one that reflects my thoughts and principles TODAY. Hurray! My following this practical philosophy has helped me to become aware of a powerful coping skill that I never knew I had. My natural, healthy internal voice is there now to protect me from external challenges and threats, and if I start hearing more from that critical Drill Sgt. I take it as a sign that I am being triggered by something and need to look at what is going on in my life that might be making me feel fearful or threatened. I really don't have the time or inclination to allow myself to hang out in that scared child place any more and so instead of falling back to my old responses I now acknowledge that I must be dealing with stressors which have put me at the limits of my capacity to cope. My new self quickly interrogates that traitorous internal voice immediately, replacing it with an internal dialogue that mirrors what a good friend's perspective might be on the situation. In Michelle's article, she asks us to explore the foundation, the origin of our beliefs. If I start feeling unimportant, rejected, abandoned, self critical, un-loveable or challenged in my capacity to function, I've learned that I need to take steps to change my response. Those steps include self nurturing and grounding myself by bringing myself into this moment and reminding myself of what I know about myself that I like and admire. Sometimes I do something I know I'm inherently good at. I knit and always have a project on the go, and five minutes alone with it usually reverts my insecure mindset back to a grounded, confident one. I invite you to look at restructuring your Core Beliefs so that they address you now, and as a result, can support you in your healing process. So how about starting with baby steps? Set yourself the intention to have a red flag raise in your mind when you hear the internalized litany of negativity that questions your process or your worth as a human being. Become more aware of that old Drill Sgt. so that you can gently but firmly challenge his old stories and let them go, once and for all. It's a solution that is helping me to make big changes in my life, and I hope that in some small way, reading my experience helps you as well. Namaste, Tina Budeweit-Weeks CEDRIC Web Correspondent

Tina Budeweit-Weeks is a member of the CEDRIC Success Team in the role of staff writer and executive assistant for Michelle Morand. Her philosophy has always been one of self-nurturance and dignity. In support of the complex difficulties clients may experience around regaining a healthy balance, Tina’s writing is designed to sympathize, support, encourage and inform. Although there are many similarities in Tina’s process, she is not a client, but a hard working, behind-the-scenes member of the team, dedicated to helping the CEDRIC Centre stay current and effective.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self, Uncategorized

Leave a Comment (0) →

Core Beliefs: Overcome limiting beliefs

Posted by on

Overcome limiting beliefs

Here’s a quick little tool that, if you use it, will be all you need to completely overcome any limiting beliefs you are carrying.

Core Beliefs

* I’m unimportant.

* I’m going to be rejected.

* I’m going to be abandoned.

* I should be more fun.

* I should be lighter.

* I am not smart enough.

* I’m not good enough.

* I am unlovable.

Whenever you start to feel anything other than peaceful and grounded, ask yourself if you’ve just had one of these thoughts. If so, remind yourself that that’s your old core belief – it’s an old story that never was true and certainly isn’t true now. Then remind yourself of what you’d like to believe and let go of needing anyone outside of yourself to agree with that new, desired belief. You have the right and the ability to love andapprove of yourself completely, regardless of what others might think, say or do. Any time you spend looking to others for validation of your “okay-ness” is time spent feeling anxious and insecure and only serves to reinforce those old harmful beliefs. Just notice any feelings of anxiety and insecurity and check to see whether any of those old beliefs have just been triggered then remind yourself that they’re only old stories and reinforce your desired belief and you’ll immediately feel more peaceful, relaxed and grounded in yourself. Initially you may have to do this every few minutes in a stressful circumstance but trust me, in a short period of time you will get to a place where those old thoughts hardly, if ever, come up and you live in a state of peace and self-love most of the time. If you would like more information on this process or would like to know how I can say, with absolute certainty, never having met you, that your beliefs aren’t true and never ever were, I encourage you to read a copy of my book Food is not the Problem: Deal With What Is. The book covers all the key tools you need to have a life free from food and body image stress and from the old core beliefs and self-esteem limitations that triggered it in the first place. You can purchase a copy for immediate download or a hard copy at the following link: Books Have a great day and give this tool a try – show yourself how these stories that aren’t true really are at the root of all your pain and stress. Then it’s a hop skip and a jump to let those old stories go and embrace the truth about the beautiful, intelligent being that you really are. Love Michelle

Tags: , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Others, Relationship with Self

Leave a Comment (0) →

Tina’s Journey – Conscious Competence : Using Winter Wisely – Learning to live with intention

Posted by on Conscious Competence The blizzards of 2008 have made way for the blizzards, windstorms and tumultuous rainstorms of 2009. Oh joy. Perfect weather for staying warm and dry inside. I am currently craving more than food at the moment. It’s sunshine I need, accompanied with the smell of undergrowth burgeoning with life as the leafy blanket covering the soil warms up and sets shoots and mushrooms skyward. It reminds me of where I am this process. Although there is not much going on, on the surface, there is a lot happening underneath as my roots find purchase and begin the long yearly traditions of gathering nutrition, planning growth and then of growing. I am hoping that my process of getting a grip on my weight gain and turning it around responds from a similar perspective. I’m taking this opportunity to develop and create an environment that nurtures affirmative change. In my social world, in my private world or where I am when I am at work, there are developments at hand that allow me to start fresh at this exciting time of my life. I am no longer a mother, no longer a student, now I’m a cosmopolitan woman with a vibrant life, a great career, a safe and stable home where I am less concerned about fiscal shortcomings than I can ever remember. This IS the kind of place where I can feel safe starting anew. So the lingering winter can do what it wants. As much as I want to get on my bike to and from work, it can wait. For now, I’m exploring organic venues for food for my home, recipes and ideas that will support my need for more fresh fruits, veggies and nuts in my diet, as well as exercise regimes that stimulate rather than exhaust. As a rather large seagull has landed outside the office window and startled me, I’m reminded by providence to keep myself available for spontaneous opportunities that will arise allowing me to maximize my life, as I like to say, it may be short, but we can make our lives as wide as we want them to be. Michelle speaks of Conscious Competence when refering to our Core Beliefs and I have a similar philosophy to living consciously. It is through ‘Living with Intention’ that the most positive steps are taken. By ‘Living with Intention’, I mean to live with awareness. Know your shortcomings, deal accordingly. Know your choices, refer to the pertinent one that applies to the present. With repeated reference to the skills that allow one to walk lightly on the earth, to be gentle with themselves in their food choices and their self-talk, as Michelle says, these behaviours morph into Unconscious Competence, Livng with Intention as second nature or our natural response. Change can be a good thing. It allows our roots to be fertilized by the long winters and it is a way of setting our intentions so that we can make our will be known, invoke the outcomes in the distance we wish to connect to, and then surrender ourselves to living with integrity until we can connect on the timeline to where we have set our sights. Goals need to be set, and in these dark, rainy weeks before spring, there is no better time to think about what it is we want to attract into our lives in the coming year. Can we get ourselves back to balance? I am reminded of US President-Elect, Barrack Obama’s determined cry… ‘YES WE CAN!’

Tags: , , , ,

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Relationship with Self

Leave a Comment (0) →
Page 14 of 14 «...1011121314