A Client Once Told Me She Felt Safer in Her Body After…

“I don’t know how to explain it, but I finally feel…safe in my own body.” This was a quiet whisper from a client after our third session together. I remember pausing, that sentence sat with me longer than any weight loss target, food diary or lab result ever could because “safe” is not a word people often use when talking about their bodies. She didn’t say “I feel slimmer, I eat perfectly now”, she didn’t even say “I am healed.” what she said was far more powerful: “I feel safe.”

This was a woman who had spent years in a constant war with her plate; Skipping meals to punish herself, overeating when emotions overflowed, restricting again out of guilt, weighing her worth by the scale, fearing food, fearing fat, fearing fullness. And somehow, through our work together, she began to unlearn that fear.

 

        TIPS THAT HELPED HER (MIGHT HELP YOU TOO).

1. WE TOOK FOOD OFF THE PEDESTAL OF MORALITY

No more “good” or “bad” food labels. Just food, just choices. She began to understand that eating bread wasn’t a sin and that nourishment wasn’t always about vegetables, it was about honoring her needs, not proving worth.

 

2. WE SLOWED DOWN THE URGE TO “FIX” THE BODY

Before nutrition can be healing, the body must stop feeling like an emergency. We didn’t chase weight loss; we chased connection, we honored her fullness cues, we learned to eat when hungry, not when shame screamed the loudest and we let clothes change, not the soul inside them. The nervous system plays a role in digestion. When you feel anxious or unworthy around food, your body literally struggles to process it well.

 

3. WE BUILT RITUALS OF SAFETY AROUND HER PLATE

Eating became a calm experience again. She practiced chewing slowly and being present. The goal? For food not to feel like a battleground. Mindful eating improves digestion, satisfaction and self-trust – they are critical tools for recovery and hormone regulation.

 

4. WE TALKED ABOUT HER CHILDHOOD HUNGER AND BODY SHAME

There was a deep story behind her bingeing, behind her control, the fear of food, and part of healing was giving that story space. Not with judgment but with compassion. Unresolved food trauma can rewire your hunger cues. Healing involves both nutrition therapy and emotional safety.

 

SAFETY LOOKED LIKE THIS:

            •           Eating rice and stew without guilt.

            •           Resting without earning it through hunger.

            •           Choosing satisfaction over stress.

            •           Wearing clothes that fit her now-body—not her then-body.

            •           Trusting that she is more than her weight.

 

Your body deserves to feel like home again, so, if you’ve ever felt like your body was the problem or food was the enemy or you needed to shrink before you could breathe, please know: there’s another way, a gentler and healing way. You too, can feel safe again. It doesn’t happen overnight but it’s possible and it’s worth it.