We have been thrust into the middle of something that we haven’t seen since 1919.
As a society, we are for the first time in history, our history anyway, changing the way we live our lives each and every day. Some of us are housebound, either not allowed to leave, or are just following our newly formed guidelines of not supposed to leave our homes.
Some of us are seeking help from our governments for financial help because our livelihoods have evaporated, we are taking care of a loved one who is very sick with something that the world is so afraid of, or we are working in an environment where life is just as it was and life is just moving along. In whichever situation you find yourself in, life as we knew it may never be the same.
What a crazy time to be alive. How are you adjusting to this crazy time?
Are you overwhelmed? Are you angry? Are you bored? Are you working more than ever? Are you lonely? Are you in a constant state of stress?
All of these things are perfectly normal feelings now and no matter what, but its what you do with these feelings that will define how well you come out of this time.
If you are like me, all of these feelings normally send me directly to the pantry or fridge.
I am a stress eater. I also eat when I am bored. It is something I have struggled with my whole life. But under these circumstances, I feel like I could be practically living in my kitchen. Especially with having nowhere to go each day, I have no reason to wear anything more than stretchy pants and therefore have no idea how fat I am becoming.
Not entirely true. I haven’t worked outside of the house for years. So the temptation to eat all day is something that I have wrestled with for years. The idea of stress eating haunts me every day, but I work really hard not to give in to it. And it really is work somedays.
I can’t just give in to the cravings so I have come up with a few strategies to help me combat my urge to eat.
- What time is it? Is it really mealtime?
- Have I had enough water? When was the last time I drank?
- Have a glass of water anyway.
- Set a timer and wait 15 min. If I am still actually hungry then it’s time to eat.
- Go for a walk. Around the yard, down the hall a few times, anything.
- Stop and think about how I am actually feeling
Making sure that I don’t ever get so hungry that I could out-eat a bear is also a crucial way to keep my eating on point.
Remember, we are all in this together and together we will come out stronger and healthier instead of 15lbs heavier.
Rice is great if you're really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something.
