Deconstruct the Metaphors

>> Hi again. Can you think of something that connects every single one of us all over the world? Are you wondering if that's even possible? So ask yourself, "What does every single one of us have in common?" The answer, language. As a whole, humans have all learned some form of language. For most of us, it's a spoken language. For many of us, it's a written language. For some of us, it's sign language. We've all learned a language, and many of us have learned at least one other language that we might be far from fluent. Have you ever tried to learn another language? If so, you probably started with the basics, right? You might have learned numbers, common words, very simple phrases that you'd likely use often. Learning a language requires everything from understanding broad rules to very specific grammar exceptions and tiny variations that can change the meaning of a sentence drastically. What if I were to tell you that understanding one of the most complicated languages imaginable requires keeping it as simple as possible? Does that sound counterintuitive? Today, we're talking about a very important language for you to understand as a Health Coach, food language. In other words, I'm going to cover how to use factors we've been considering throughout the course to explore the purpose that food serves in your clients' lives. Learning a client's food language might sound overwhelming. It takes time, there are so many factors, and it's so complicated. To that, I say this, take a deep breath and keep it simple. How? By following threads, making connections, and using a wide angle lens, in short, by deconstructing the metaphor of hunger, cravings, and food itself. But wait, you want something more concrete. Okay then, here's a four-question framework to help clients deconstruct food metaphors and in turn, learn their personal food languages. For each question, I'll include several examples and ask you to write down your own ideas. So have your journal ready. Is the hunger physical or emotional? Remember, physical and emotional hunger are not the same. Some potential questions could include, "Do you know what physical hunger feels like? Do you know what emotional hunger feels like? What are your triggers for eating? How do these triggers influence what, how, how much, or when you eat? Why are you eating? Why do you think you're eating what you're eating?" Grab your journal, pause the video, and write down some other questions that relate to this. Great. Let's move onto the next one. If it's emotional hunger, what's the underlying or real nonfood hunger? Remember that emotions serve important purposes. Emotional eating includes using food for a purpose other than nutritional nourishment. Cravings are information. Emotional hunger isn't really about food itself, it's about some other perceived need, or want. This may not always be obvious, and it's usually done on autopilot. So you'll likely need to help your clients engage in some self-exploration. A few questions you might ask might be, "What's the real need or want? Is there some kind of imbalance or perceived lack? What emotion, self-perception or area of life wants you to feed it? Where is the disconnect?" Grab your journal, pause the video, and write down some other possible questions. What are the overarching metaphors? Remember that a metaphor is a figure of speech that equates two things. So if food is a metaphor, what does it represent? Let's review some ideas we've covered in this course that might help. We all want to feel safe, and we all want what's familiar. We are programmed for safety. Our beliefs are not always logical or rational and they can keep us stuck in emotional eating cycles in our efforts to avoid discomfort and/or stay in control. For example, if I believe that losing or gaining weight challenges my self-identity and my core values, I might not want to adopt healthier habits that impact my weight. Emotional eating is triggered by stressors. Remember the emotional eating cycle? Emotional eating can be intricately linked with body image, things like fat attacks, in other words, suddenly feeling very fat aren't based in reality. On a subconscious level, we might create an all-consuming preoccupation with food and body image because it distracts us from everything else going on in our lives. It gives us an excuse to avoid moving forward and detracts from our real problems. Now all we can see is our own suffering around eating and body image, so we use food to distract us from that too, trying to outrun our own outrunning strategy. We might use food as a replacement for primary food, and we might associate foods with important people and memories. For example, in many minds, baking sweet foods is an expression of love. Food can also serve as a form of sustenance in childhood and it can become a friend over time. Food might also be associated with success. Some possible questions here could include, "What coping function does food serve? What are you trying to comfort, control, distract from, or connect or fit in with? What do you associate with food? Connection? Success? Luxury? How are your eating habits connected with your self-perceptions? How is food part of your reward system? What's your emotional state?" Grab your journal, pause the video, and write down some other questions that relate to this. What are the potential biological mechanisms? Emotions can biologically affect eating habits, as can stress and sleep. When you eat, might be just as important as what you eat. Common emotional eating habits, like overeating, restricting, eating when not physically hungry, and eating compulsively can all dysregulate body processes, plus cravings can stem from a variety of psychological and biological factors. Let's go right to you on this one. What are some questions you might explore? Grab your journal, pause the video, and write down some ideas. Okay, take a moment to look at what you wrote during this lecture. What questions did you come up with? Where do you think those questions stem from? Did some of them stem from your own food language? That makes sense, right? As Health Coaches, we bring our own experiences to the table. The question is how we use those experiences to increase clarity and focus for our clients. That's it for today. To recap, as a Health Coach, you can use the food foundation to learn your client's food language. In other words, your client's relationship with eating and how food serves a purpose in his or her life. This requires helping your client deconstruct food metaphors. Here's a four-question framework to simplify the process. Is the hunger physical or emotional? If it's emotional hunger, what is the underlying or real nonfood hunger? What are the overarching metaphors? What are the potential biological mechanisms? Take a moment to look at what you wrote down throughout this lecture. To practice the material this week, you'll also try your first case study challenge, as well as your first accountability coaching session. We've included details to guide you in the Skill Building Activity section of this module in your Learning Center. Send out your experiences in the Facebook group. And as always, share this material with someone in your life who might value it. Bye for now.