If you want to be happy, you have to know where to put your attention. — Most of us intuitively get that working toward getting something we want will bring us happiness. But there is enormous internal dissonance between what we think we want and our actual happiness. Often our first solution to this problem is to control our desires and limit temptations. This can work…

I have some pet peeves when it comes to mindful eating. Don’t get me wrong; I love it as a practice for connecting with the full eating experience. And I was super into it when I first encountered it about 15 years ago. But over the years, it has become…

There’s a bit of eating advice that sounds benign on the surface… …but as you know, people who struggle with eating difficulties are really goodat taking great advice and using it against themselves. “Eat when you’re hungry.” Sounds simple, right? Almost fool-proof. But just wait until your inner perfectionist gets…

As we settle into the New Year, we may notice a tendency to go inward a bit, an urge toward self-reflection. Even as we may also have increasing demands placed upon us by work, by friends, and by family, it can do us some good to take some time out… …

Akrasia, values, and the mind-body problem — Let’s talk about a problem that has plagued Western thought for centuries: Why would anyone act against their own best interest? In other words, if you know better, if you are not ignorant of the right thing to do, then why don’t you always do the thing that best serves…

Whether you are just starting out or have years of recovery work under your belt, knowing why you want to change is crucial. Let’s call this finding your Why. Your Why, your reasons for change, serve as an anchor for when you start to doubt, lose faith in yourself, or…

Trust yourself to trust your body — Intuitive eating is not simply the blissful state of going about your day, waiting for your body to signal hunger, and then hoping that the perfect food magically appears. It actually takes a lot of hard work up front to warm up that communication between the You that exists mostly…

The analogy of the dog that’s just done — Raise your hand if you worry about having the “right” motivations for movement. You’re pretty sure you know the “wrong” reasons: to lose weight, to force your body to look different, to manage your anxiety, because you feel guilty if you don’t, and on and on. And there are plenty…

If you’ve ever done values work — either at school, on the job, or with a coach or therapist — then you know that values can serve as a vital compass for how we direct our lives. And you also know that aligning actions with values can lead to a…