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09 Jun 2017

The Body Acceptance Series Part II: The WIIFM of Healing & Recovery

What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)?

WIIFM stands for “What’s In It For Me”. And it’s most notably referenced in the marketing and selling of a product or service. But in Part II of this Body Acceptance series (click here for Part I), I’m borrowing the WIIFM phrase to explore the deep-seeded reasons why someone seeks healing and recovery. I’m particularly drawing on my presentation last month at the NEDIC conference “Moving Body Acceptance Off Of The Mat & Into The World”.

WIIFM is a marketing approach to highlight the key selling features that will attract consumers to buy what a business is selling. It drives the promotion strategies used. And, if done well, continually focusing on the consumer benefits when advertising brings higher sales.

However, the “buying and selling” of eating disorder treatment is not easily strategized or packaged. Healing and recovery on this front is deeply personal, with umpteenth reasons for seeking it out. There is no cookie cutter approach. But, getting a clear understanding of the reasons why you are starting on the ED recovery path can:

  1. Help articulate your recovery goals and intentions going forward
  2. Be an anchor to what keeps you going, especially when the changes you’re making feel difficult

What am I longing for?

Selling anybody, on anything, is not the way I operate. The resolve to heal has to come personally from within. And no amount of persuasion or marketing tactics is going to sell you on the need/desire for healing.

Instead, when clients start working with us, the suggestion is that they ask themselves why they are here in this stage of their recovery journey. In other words, WIIFM is reframed with questions like these:

  • Where does the eating disorder make life difficult/challenging?
  • What are some negative feelings/experiences that the eating disorder creates?
  • How are these behaviours not serving me at this time?
  • When the eating disorder is no longer a guiding force in my life, what does that look like?
  • Or… what am I longing for?

When participants and I pondered these questions at the NEDIC conference, there was a general consensus that life with an ED is anxiety-provoking, nerve-wrecking, surrounded by so much fear and a feeling of being overpowered by the ED thoughts/behaviours. But, on the other side of that,  might be freedom, personal trust and inner peace. And remembering the personal intention (the longing) at the forefront of the recovery process, is one way to solidify one’s commitment to healing.

From “May I….” to “I am”

Practices such as meditation, reflection and journaling can be effective tools for disrupting the ED. Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) is one type of attention that can guide us from a place of self-loathing to self-compassion. A LKM has the following recited phrases: “May I be safe; may I be healthy, may I be happy and may I live with ease.”  Therefore, it is a hope for healing, recovery, change.

However, if we tap into our heart’s deepest desire and use the yogic practice of Sankalpa, change becomes more imminent.

Sankalpa is Sanskrit for heartfelt intention, a solemn vow, your heart’s deepest desire. It typically has the following characteristics:

  • A personal commitment
  • Affirming, positive
  • Rooted in the present tense

In other words, your heartfelt intention is an anchor for where the recovery process will ultimately take you – realizing your true purpose in life.

Developing your Sankalpa (Heartfelt Intention)

  1. Have a pen and paper handy
  2. Find a quiet place for reflection
  3. Go back to the questions above in the What am I longing for? section.
  4. Pay particular attention to what it is your heart is longing for
  5. Keep your statement brief, something you can easily recall and recite to yourself often
  6. Write it down
  7. Close your eyes and repeat your Sankalpa to yourself several times
  8. Sit for a while and feel how this statement shows up in the body

Crafting your Heartfelt Intention can take some time. Also, it doesn’t have to be perfect. But if you’re struggling to find one that works for you, here are a few examples to get you started:

  • I am…
  • I welcome all impressions as interesting notes of discovery
  • I trust myself

Up next: Michelle will guide you through a Yoga Nidra practice. Stay tuned for this 20 – 30 minute guided relaxation, where we’ll combine all learnings from this 3-part Body Acceptance series.

Filed Under: Body Image & Self Esteem Tagged With: body acceptance, body image, eating disorders, eating disorders in Canada, ED recovery, guided relaxation, heartfelt intention, restorative movement, restorative yoga, sankalpa, self-care, yoga, yoga nidra

You may also be interested in:

  • Another Set of Yoga & Pilates Classes Begin @ The Define Me Virtual Studio
  • Simply Restorative Series Returns January 2021
  • *New Class Alert* Pilates-Restore Coming January 2021
  • 44 Ways to Practice Self-Compassion
  • World Eating Disorders Action Day is Here! June 2nd, 2019

Tags

anorexia BED binge eating disorder body acceptance body image bodymind body positive bulimia chronic illness chronic pain corporate wellness diet eating disorders eating disorders in Canada EDAW2017 EDNOS ED recovery embodiment guided relaxation HAES Health at Every Size healthy workplace holistic health interoception joyful movement lifestyle changes mental health mindbody mindfulness reiki restorative movement restorative yoga self-awareness self-care self-compassion self-massage self esteem stress stress management weight neutral weight stigma well-being workplace wellness yoga yoga nidra

About Michelle Pitman

Head Wellness Coach, Michelle Pitman, is a certified personal trainer, yoga instructor and Reiki practitioner, who believes that EVERYONE should feel good from the inside out. With over 15 years experience Michelle has coached and inspired others to realize their goals.

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Latest Articles

  • Another Set of Yoga & Pilates Classes Begin @ The Define Me Virtual Studio
  • Simply Restorative Series Returns January 2021
  • *New Class Alert* Pilates-Restore Coming January 2021
  • 44 Ways to Practice Self-Compassion
  • World Eating Disorders Action Day is Here! June 2nd, 2019

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