Developing a healthier relationship with food and my body has been a highlight of my health journey over the years. When my body first started changing around 18 and into my early 20s, it was really hard for me to adjust and learn how to nourish my body — especially with all the different diets and opinions thrown at me constantly. Over the years, the way that I eat, and the way that my body responds has continued to shift and change and it’s an ongoing process to learn how to deal with the ever-evolving relationship between food, my body‘s response, exercise, and a healthy mindset around it all. Now in my 30s, it’s a whole different shift that I am learning to adjust to. I found that the best way to go about it is to take a step back, learn how to tune in and understand what my body is telling me/what it needs at any given moment, and also educate myself on how to best support my body’s needs. It’s also been so helpful to understand the impact of emotions on my physiology — how stress might impact my appetite, how exercise might impact my energy levels, how to replenish properly, etc. Here are a couple extremely helpful points keep in mind + questions to ask yourself when you are feeling that tension in the relationship between, food, your body and your mental health.