Mindful eating for stress management
Stress is something every human being will experience at certain times in our life. It is a primal physiological response created to protect us. In fact, stress can even be good for us in some cases.
Stress can help us fight off disease, stay focused to meet a deadline, it can help us work through experiences that challenge us to offer growth, change, and possibility.
But, when left uncontrolled, stress can wreak havoc on your body systems and impact you physically, mentally, or psychologically. In fact, according to a study by the American Psychological Association in 2022, over 75% of Americans noted experiencing health impacts due to stress in the PAST 30 DAYS!
Food can have a MAJOR impact on managing stress in the body, mind, and spirit in support of health and wellbeing.
The more we understand what and how to eat to make us feel good energetically, mentally, emotionally, we step into habits that support long-term stress management and graciously let go of those that no longer align with wellbeing.
Pops of color are a great way to visually connect with your food. Plus those colorful fruits and veggies are packed with nutrients for your body!
What is stress ?
The human body is very smart. When it encounters a physical or psychological harm, the neurons send a signal that danger is near, activating our sympathetic nervous system, more commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” system. Your body directs its energy to fighting off the danger by activating the following in the body and brain:
Energy mobilization
Metabolic changes
immune system activation and reactivity
Digestion suppression
Reproduction shutdown
#4! Digestion Suppression
The perceived threats we see in modern society look something more like fear and anxiety around a work presentation, a deadline, or a difficult conversation. In these situations, the body is not in actual harm’s way (life or death) but the stress around preparing, studying, and worrying about how you are going to do on the test signals otherwise. The body’s fight or flight system is continuously activated, creating a prolonged stress reaction.
This can have a BIG IMPACT on our digestive system because stress is interfering with its ability to do its job, process food and obtain the body needs to thrive!
Stress adds up
Stress is something that accumulates over time, so each time we experience a stressor in our day, it is important to take time to regulate our system so that stress doesn’t begin to manifest in physical, mental, and emotional imbalances.
So it is in the “little moments” each day we can make small shifts in support of making sure stress doesn’t creep in, and it allows us to create a consistent regulation of the nervous system multiple times per day in very short amount of time. This accumulates as well.
Mindful eating to help stress
What is mindful eating ?
Mindful eating is being present to how you feel, think, behavior with foods and connect with whether or not that resonates with your authentic self and your health goals (Not what the latest fad is saying you should do, you know yourself best!). It’s being present to see if what you are eating and how you are eating is making you feel good.
Eating out of alignment with our body, mind, and spirit will produce a stress response because we are internally fighting against authenticity, whether we recognize it or not.
Mindful eating is a two-way process. We can aim to eat a balanced diet that honors what we think best serves us. Conversely, tuning into how we think, feel, act, etc. when we eat these foods will help us to understand if they are actually serving the way we intend them to in order to work towards change.
To me, I find mindful eating to be most successful when you implement small, sustainable changes that build up over time (it’s a marathon, not a sprint - this food journey is FOR LIFE)
Through connecting with food as a tool to support authentic living, we start to harmonize our relationship to food, reduce stress levels, and improve wellbeing.
If you’re ready to dive into self-care and feel empowered to create mindful habits that stick and want to connect with like-minded individuals, join us for the next round of
Empowered eating: a yoga series !
Virtual workshop that will give you a compassionate approach to understanding food behaviors and thoughts through the lens of Ayurveda.
Meeting dates: Monday evenings 5-6:30 pm MST
May 8th- June 26th
recordings will be available. Email info@infullbloomwellness.com with questions!
Practices for mindful eating and stress reduction
Food is an essential part of our day and if during our meals, we are not allowing the body, mind, and spirit to HEAL through FOOD , it will continue to experience stress, creating a disconnect between our relationship with food. How can we implement mindful practices into our daily eating habits to promote and practice management ? Here are five ways you can implement today to help regulate the nervous system while eating
Slow down
We live in a hustle culture that embraces speeding through things, and we often feel there isn’t enough time in the day to get it all done. Slowing down while we eat is one of the best ways we can begin to tune into hunger cues, satiety, and reduce the stress of our day by enjoying the process of preparing and eating a meal for nourishment.
Eat without distractions
Our phones and computers are a great distraction, especially after a long day of work or utilizing all our energy just to keep a smile on our face because we are feeling so run down. This puts stress on the body by diverting our energy and the digestive system suffers!
Make a ritual of every sip
When we invite the idea of making eating its own task, just like brushing your teeth or washing your face is part of your daily routine. Embracing these mundane, everyday tasks are what makes all the other things so very special. These are what allow for the other moments and without them, we wouldn’t have the latter either. Small, regular habits helps to manage stress by offering familiarity.
Compassion
We are human beings and we are imperfect. we fall back into our subconscious thought and beliefs patterns. Self-compassion is essential as it allows us to view current eating behaviors and habits as lessons in understanding our old conditioning. Stress builds when we guilt, shame, or criticise our missteps as we navigate eating for our whole being. Self-compassion relaxes and brings clarity to the mind to move forward.
Consistency
If you get stressed thinking about just how you’re going to cook your meals, grocery shop, or even eat with all the commitments you have, planning ahead will be a big help! This doesn’t have to be extensive, but 10 minutes of planning can help you identify time restraints, meetings, or social events throughout the week so you can plan your meals accordingly.
As we start to condition our body to experience these restful and relaxing behaviors, we start to ENJOY the daily activity of eating and look forward to how we can support and honor our body to be able to have experiences in our days. Stress around food habits and thoughts begin to dissipate because we are mindfully practicing authenticity in food.
Mindful eating takes time. Just like the stress can build up in our system, the small, supportive habits will too, inviting balance and restoration to your mind, body, and spirit ♡