You probably have heard of the phrase “Trust your gut”. When you have big decisions to make, you are told to go with this unexplainable feeling inside which is pointing you to one direction over another.

 Have you ever had an experience where you were guided by others to do something when your “gut” was telling you something different? This can be challenging to know what to decide to do with conflicting guidance of yourself and others. These experiences can make you trust yourself less and doubt can creep in with your decision-making skills.

Have you ever started a diet? You know, those strict guidelines promising health, increased self-esteem, and weight loss?  It is estimated that the diet industry has a net worth of $72 billion dollars, all profiting from the glimmering hope of health (Tribole, E. & Resch, E., 2012). Our society also highlights the importance of a healthy lifestyle such as exercise, eating nutritious food, and fitting into a certain weight. You may even hear messages about how to eat or achieve health from family or friends. You are told over and over that you are not trying hard enough or failed based on the results of you following these rules. This feels like a never-ending cycle of attempting a new way of eating, feeling awful about oneself, and not seeing any benefit. What if our approach is wrong?