Shadow Boxing: Fighting Myself for Myself

Last weekend, I had a failure around food. Failures around food always expose my shadow selves. This time, it was a trigger food for overeating.

But, this post is more about failure than food. Failures happen, and I have gotten used to them. I have also gotten used to getting out of them, which I did.

But, sharing these failures in a public way is new ground for me, and I haven’t known how to talk about my failures in meaningful ways.

My failures around food feel epic, and so do the struggles to turn them around. But, the solutions themselves are unremarkably boring.

Talking about the solutions may be even more boring. I ate clean unprocessed plants. I worked out. I shopped for groceries. I prepared food for the next day.

Transforming my shadows occurs in the boring routines of daily life. But, there is tremendous value in talking about these mundane details to learn and grow.

Still, I had been asking myself: How will I talk about my failures in ways that go beyond summarizing meaningless details?

The answer materialized out of nowhere.

Shadow boxing

Shadow boxing is the ongoing process I use to fight my shadow selves to keep them in the background of my life.

Shadow boxing is the roiling struggle for deep, substantive change — struggles cloaked under the mirage of routine actions.

Shadow boxing fights for my healthy self and holistic well being.

Shadow boxing encompasses gentle sparring, full-blown fights, and even knockout battles against my shadow selves.

Shadow boxing includes a range of offensive and defensive actions to keep my shadow selves in the background.

Shadow boxing includes winning and losing rounds of battle against these omnipresent shadows.

Shadow boxing means recovering from failures and losses in a timely way.

Shadow boxing means stringing together more successes than failures.

Shadow boxing is movement, strength, and action.

Shadow boxing is self-empowerment, liberation, and freedom.

Shadow boxing is self-advocacy, self-care, and self-love.

Shadow Boxes

The former English teacher in me loves a rich, nuanced metaphor that helps explain an idea. Add shadow boxes to shadow boxing.

Shadow boxes showcase what it means to fight these battles against my shadow selves.

Shadow boxes name the processes of keeping my shadow selves in the background.

Shadow boxes voice the actions I take to fight for my best self and to fight against my worst self.

Shadow boxes explain the realities of the ups and downs of making deep changes.

Shadow boxes reflect on my actions and learn from my successes and failures.

Shadow boxes center my healthy self.

Shadow boxes highlight the ongoing nature of the journey.

Shadow Boxing Transforms Shadows

My use of shadow boxing includes shadow boxes. Thus, shadow boxing encompasses the fight with myself and the display of what these fights take.

Shadow boxing is where the real work occurs to transform my shadows.

Shadow boxing keeps my shadow selves of food addiction, obesity, and anorexia in the background of my life. And, this makes the fight worthwhile.

Your shadow selves may be different than mine. But, shadow boxing may also help you transform your shadows.