Life and stress have a well established courtship - and it's a proven fact that stress can lead to weight gain! Daily we are bombarded with new stressors and no matter how hard we strive to develop and maintain a low stress lifestyle something stressful always seems to pop up unexpectedly!
When I am dealing with life's stressors I can choose to manage it in a healthy manner or I can choose to let it extract it's painful toll on my overall health and wellbeing.
For the vast majority of my life I let stress win! I would self sooth during stressful situations by eating high sugar and fatty foods and unsurprisingly I am not alone with my response. According to a Prevention article entitled "7 Ways to Beat Stress Fat," Elissa Epel, PhD, a researcher on stress eating at the University of California, San Francisco noted, "we crave sweet, salty, and high-fat foods because they stimulate the brain to release pleasure chemicals that reduce tension."
This explains why when faced with stressful situations my knee jerk response is to bury my face in a pint of ice cream or a bag of crunchy snacks. However, while the stress might seem to abate while eating the unhealthy foods it is really only gaining momentum as I gain extra pounds, which in turn causes more stress!
Thankfully I am learning new ways to cope with stress. I am learning ways to change my overall lifestyle (not just my eating habits). As I become healthier as a whole I am developing the right tools to adequately cope with stress. A good friend of mine once gently reminded me that "I can't give what I don't have!" Keeping that sage piece of advice in mind I am striving to set healthy boundaries in my life.
I have chosen to start being kinder to myself! I am learning to step back and leave stressful situations in God's hands. I ask for help when needed and call on friends to pray with me when I am struggling. I am finding healthy ways to increase my activity levels.
I am taking time to incorporate more fresh air and sunshine in my life. And most importantly, I am learning to give myself grace when I stumble eating wise. As soon as I become aware that I am starting to slip back into old unhealthy eating habits I choose not to wait until the next day to get back on track, instead I seize the next moment and start a fresh right then and there!
If I am longing for something sweet a few dates or figs will usually still my sweet tooth. If I am yearning for something crunchy and salty I enjoy a bowl of air popped popcorn tossed with a scant teaspoon of olive oil and a generous coating of nutritional yeast, along with a sprinkle of sea salt. These flavor filled healthy treats will help to chases away the junk food cravings and the extra pounds!
Wishing you prosperity in your journey!
Sharon
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