You are what you eat.
You are what you drink.
You are what you read.
You are what you see on social media.
You are what you watch.
You are what you listen to.
You are what (and who) you surround yourself with.
Consumption is SO much more than what you put in your mouth.
We’ve all heard the old adage that “you are what you eat.”
(The other half of that truth is you are what you eat and absorb. This is why you need to have your digestion up to snuff if you want to be your healthiest! But more on digestion in other posts.)
But consumption is more than food.
YOU BECOME EVERYTHING YOU SURROUND YOURSELF BY
So I have to ask you – what is it you are surrounding yourself with?
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Are you surrounding yourself with kind, good-hearted, loving people that leave you feeling uplifted and held?
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Are you constantly inundated with negativity from the mainstream news?
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Are you watching things that are depressing/sad/bleak or uplifting/happy/feel-good?
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What do the accounts you follow on IG post about daily?
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What about the people on FB? Does their content lift you up?
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What are you absorbing and possibly taking home from your job/place of work?
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What kinds of sounds do you hear throughout the day?
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What shows and movies do you spend your time watching?
Becoming aware of these things is extremely important in order to protect your energy and safeguard your happiness.
Think about it:
If you’re constantly being bombarded with negative stuff on the news,
Feelings of inadequacy and judgment from the people around you
Stress and toxicity from your workplace
Ickiness on social media
Anxiety from the shows/movies your watching
High stress noise on the radio or Spotify
Then you literally have a recipe for a life full of all that negativity/toxicity/ickiness!! A great way to feel negative and anxious and depressed and in despair all the time is to surround yourself with negativity and despair and things that cause anxiety.
It’s never been more important to be mindful of what we are taking in all day every day!
How To Consciously Consume
A great way to check in with yourself to see if what you are consuming is serving you, is to see how you feel during and after you consume it.
How do you feel after eating that organic ancient grain bowl?
(Do you feel satisfied and satiated? Or empty and bored?)
How do you feel while scrolling through IG?
(Do you feel uplifted and inspired? Or depressed and icky?)
How do you feel after checking into FB?
(Do you feel happy and full? Or do you feel energetically depleted?)
How do you feel when you watch the news?
(Are you filled with hope and peace? Or do you feel fearful and anxious?)
How does the prospect of going into work make you feel?
(Excited to do work you love? Or riddled with anxiety and nauseous the night before?) <— this was me BIG TIME
How does your evening show make you feel?
(Does it leave you on edge with your heart pumping? Or are you mellow and peaceful?)
We become what we regularly consume. This includes people, too.
Something that has become hugely important to me as I grow older, become wiser, and step more into my truth and alignment, is dropping into my heart space and ACTUALLY FEELING how certain things/people/social events/conversations/foods/relationships/books/TV shows/movies affect me.
What a concept right?? FEELING. Feeling into the things that are mainstays in your day to day life…
Re-evaluating if it is actually serving you.
So now, every single thing I consume via my eyes/ears/nose/mouth/physical sensations/psychic + intuitive nudges, I feel into it and see if it something that still has a place in my life.
—> If it leaves me feeling depleted, depressed, anxious, worried, uncomfortable, inadequate, stressed, on edge, fearful, shameful, jealous, apathetic, humiliated <--
IT’S A NO.
This is why I do not watch mainstream news.
This is why I do not follow accounts on IG or FB that suck my energy.
This is why I left a career in nursing that was leaving me defeated and depressed and more stressed than I have ever been.
This is why I do not consume foods that detract from maintaining a healthy, vibrant, thriving body.
This is why I do not have relationships with people who deplete me.
This is why I do not watch every single show on various streaming services.
This is why I do not say yes to every social event that comes my way.
This is why I do not listen to negative people.
This is why I don’t listen to just any music.
Results Of My Own Conscious Consumption
I have more peace.
I have more energy.
My mind is quieter.
I have more joy.
I feel more gratitude.
I have more balance.
I feel more grounded.
I have SIGNIFICANTLY less stress.
I am more mindful.
I am a happier person.
I feel 100% congruent with the way I always wanted to live.
It took me 34 (almost 35!) years to get here; to be able to discern enough to know what is right for me and what isn’t.
My best piece of advice surrounding this topic…
GET QUIET
GO INWARD
DROP INTO YOUR HEART
HOW DOES THE THING YOU ARE CONSUMING, THE RELATIONSHIP YOU’RE INVESTING YOURSELF IN, OR THE PIECE OF NEWS YOU’RE ABSORBING –
HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
Does it feel “good” or does it feel “bad”? That’s a great place to start. If it feels good, that’s fabulous! If it feels bad, then learn to set a boundary, find a way to course correct, and re-evaluate whether or not its serving you to continue on with this thing that feels bad.
I’m not saying stick your head in the sand to avoid all the badness and negativity out there in the world. That is not prudent or possible. Yes I believe we need to be educated on worldly happenings, but it’s entirely different being utterly consumed by it all day every day.
FIND BALANCE
LEARN DISCERNMENT
LISTEN TO YOUR GUT
CONSCIOUSLY CONSUME
Because just remember, you become what you consume.
Choose wisely!
Tell me in the comments — are you consciously consuming? What areas in your life could use some work around this?
Happy Consuming!
Xoxo,
Emily 😊
