A Healthier Relationship with Food: Explore Food, Feelings & Facts During the Pandemic

Just recently, I covered eating consciously in a previous post, but I’m understanding that this needs more attention, especially with what’s happening in our lives right now. We’re all confined to our homes. Many of us are either working in an environment not conducive to productivity, and many of us no longer have jobs altogether. It’s a time of uncertainty, confusion, frustration, worry and even boredom—and a common reaction to emotions like these is to eat. I love food. Food, good food is amazing. However eating is often used as a mechanism to avoid our feelings—to numb out. I know this first hand because it was very much a habit that I had in my life for a long time.

My issue was actually three pronged. One, I was taught to finish my plate or else I couldn’t leave the table, so eating all of my food no matter the portion size became a lifestyle for me—and it was considered okay. Two, I’ve been thin all my life, which may be obnoxious to some people because many people want to lose weight, but thin people have their body issues too. And that issue resulted in me eating whatever my heart desired, and a lot of it, because I wanted to gain weight. No one questioned my habits because I was the “skinny-big girl” which is what my friends called me. I remember my grandmother reprimanding my mom for not feeding me. I was like what??? Trust me, I’m eating! And three, just like many other women in the world, eating something sweet or salty, crunchy or gooey, because of the mood I was in, made me feel better emotionally. The thing is, it’s a fake satisfaction that the dopamine hormone feeds us when we feed ourselves—and then it goes away. These things can still be a problem to this day if I don’t choose to do something about it in the moment and just indulge for a quick high.

If you can relate to any of what I’m saying right now, you’re not alone and you’re not abnormal. I also want you to know that you do not have to feel shame. Instead, what I encourage you to do is to start getting hopeful, because you have support. You have support in God’s Word. Today I’m going to share with you a few action items to get you on your way to taking control of your eating habits—especially when you’re feeling those eating triggers that are not hunger related.

Write down what you’re feeling

It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling. You’re feelings are valid. At the same time, be aware that your feelings are not fact. Actually, the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 So acknowledge your feelings, identify them, and be sensitive to them, but I urge you to be aware of its deceptive nature. Here are some journaling prompts to get your feelings and thoughts on paper so you can begin to face what’s really going on inside and reflect.

1. What am I feeling right now? Feel free to start with 6 core human emotions—Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, Anger, Surprise
2. What is the story? Tell yourself the story of what’s sparking this emotion. Start from the beginning and bring it to where you are right now, prayerfully bringing you to full awareness of your current emotional state.
3. If you could make one statement about this situation that is in your mind based on what you’ve discovered in your story, what would it be? Example: “When this pandemic is over, I don’t think I’m going to have a job waiting for me.”

Find a Scripture

Once you’ve identified what you’re feeling and thinking, inspire yourself with Scripture from the Bible. In my opinion, the Bible is the most inspiring and uplifting book ever written. I couldn’t recommend a better book. In the Bible, find a Scripture that will give you a positive and hopeful perspective on your statement from number 3 above. For instance, if the statement is, “When this pandemic is over, I don’t think I’m going to have a job waiting for me.” Your perspective Scripture could be, Romans 8:38-39.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:28-39

There are several takeaways from this passage, but the obvious truth that can be found here is that God loves you and he has your back no matter what is going on. And this is a truth that trumps feelings and emotions and possible lies that we tell ourselves in times of uncertainty.

Increase Your Mag Intake

We’ve gone over a couple of emotional exercises, so now let’s look at a physical one you can do which is—increase your Magnesium intake. Magnesium is known to support the nervous system and relax muscle tension. When we get stressed, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) affects the “fight or flight” response in the body. The body then prepares itself to fight something life threatening or to flee from an enemy. The SNS alerts the adrenal glands to give off adrenaline and cortisol, both stress-related hormones. Both hormones as partners increase the heart rate, increase the rate of your respiratory function, alters digestion function, and more. Repetitive simulation like this on the nervous system begins to breakdown the body and the mind, making healthy decision-making to be a struggle. You can take a magnesium supplement but also consider a more sustainable and natural approach as well which is to get it from the foods you eat. Magnesium can be found in foods like:

Spinach / Collard Greens / Kale / Swiss Chard / Bananas / Avocado / Salmon / Almonds / Cashews / Peanuts / Brown Rice / Quinoa / Chickpea / Kidney Beans / Broccoli

These best practices will help us become more aware of how we’re feeling when we eat, helping us sustain healthier eating patterns for the events of this life. If you have any comments, questions or something to add to the recommendations that work for you, please leave it in the comments below. Also, is this topic important or relevant to you? Let me know below as well. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

Stay safe and healthy.

Love,
Yardley