These last couple of weeks, we have been covering mindful eating, restoring your relationship with food, not judging your food choices, and how to handle negative (and sometimes positive) comments from others around food and your body. I know these mindfulness techniques are skills you can transfer from the food you eat to other areas of your life and health. These mindfulness skills can help you become more aware of your thoughts, and your day-to-day stress will help you not only become aware of how that impacts your health.
Going into the topic of stress for a bit…..
Did you know that stress can impact how your hormones and digestion are regulated? Even if the stress is a “good thing” or a much-needed distraction, your body sends a stress signal to your sympathetic nervous system. This signal triggers a response that can change how we process and digest food (among many other body functions.) Over time, this “stress” can cause symptoms and health problems that affect our bodies and quality of life.
Do you ever watch the news (yikes!), scroll social media, listen to a podcast, or read while you eat? (I’m guilty of most of these at one time or another). Your body perceives those distractions as stress. Even when we are distracted, our body, specifically our cells, knows what is happening. A key concept of mindfulness is that our cells are “spying” on us, even when we think we are hiding our stress/anxiety with distractions. From the outside, we may look A-OK. Still, our cells send signals and influence the sympatric and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Now to the stressful season we are currently in – the holidays…
The stress we feel during the holidays can be intense for the following reasons:
- It’s a short time to do everything (shop, host, create magical memories, etc.)
- You have to make small talk with others you aren’t used to interacting with (extended relatives, awkward coworkers, and those fun holiday parties, etc.)
- The weather is cold, and the sunshine is limited (In most parts of the US, the weather and time change can lead to seasonal affective disorder)
- You are surrounded by food and drinks you don’t typically consume daily. This change in eating can impact your body, sleep, and immune health if you are sensitive to any of these ingredients/chemicals.
With all this said, I advise you to breathe, be present at the moment, and take in the blessings of this holiday season. This mindfulness will allow you to choose the conversations, food, and activities that can bless your body and soul. If you want more assistance, join my Mindful Eating Program by clicking here.
References:
Cherpak CE. Mindful Eating: A Review Of How The Stress-Digestion-Mindfulness Triad May Modulate And Improve Gastrointestinal And Digestive Function. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2019 Aug;18(4):48-53. PMID: 32549835; PMCID: PMC7219460.
Harvard Health Publishing. Understanding the Stress Response. 2020 July. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
