For so many of us, food is used as a means for comfort. This can cause anxiety to a lot of people, especially when you feel unable to control that urge to numb out by indulging in your favorite foods. Today Jessi talks about how to empower yourself to stop using food for comfort and how to retrain your brain’s thoughts around food. She goes over why you don’t want to create excess rules for yourself, how to change your beliefs about food and how you can use the “build a plate” strategy to honor your cravings. She shares why it’s crucial to sink into deep pleasure and satisfaction when you’re eating and why you need human connection and accountability in your journey of healing from food and body struggles.    In this episode: Using food as a means of celebration while not losing balance Why it’s not a bad thing to emotionally eat Learning to avoid using food as a substance to numb ourselves Satisfying our cravings without fear and moderation Why the way your pursuing balance might not be the best approach The reality of discipline and willpower Why retraining the habit pathways in your brain will stop you from feeling the urge to numb out  How sometimes it’s about way more than food Changing your beliefs around food and integrating the knowledge to stop using food for comfort Weakening pattern pathways in the brain by creating pattern interrupts Jessi’s conference on women’s food and body empowerment Why we don’t want to create excess pressure or rules around food Jessi’s homework assignment for the listener’s Creating distractions for yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed Using the “build a plate” strategy to honor your cravings Sinking into deep pleasure and satisfaction when you’re eating Why you need human connection and support in order to heal   Links: 033 - My Big Crazy New Year's Intentions & The Process I Follow To Ensure Success   Join me for The Food Freedom Breakthrough Masterclass. This class is for those who know they want to improve their relationship with food and their body, but are afraid of spiraling out-of-control and want a proven, step-by-step system to go from feeling crazy around food to normal again!   You can either live your life at war with your mind or learn to work in sync with it. If you’re ready to work in sync with your mind and evolve your life, welcome to The Dear Body Podcast! Our mission is to help driven women have an easy and effortless relationship with food and unshakeable self-confidence in their own body. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode & learn more about us here!