I know it feels early to be mentioning Christmas for us too. However we feel it's a good time to bring up this conversation about food while you have the time to contemplate it. Many celebrations involve food and for some, it can send us into an anxious spin about holiday weight gain and un-doing any good 'work' they've put into their diet at this point.
Do you find that in times of stress, your diet is one of the first things to suffer! Contrary to what we might think, stress is normal and so is our body’s psychological and physical reaction to it! Indeed, research shows us that a small amount of stress can be good for us and gets us motivated to get stuff done. It improves memory, is beneficial to performance and motivation, and activates the immune system.
Many of us spend much time trying to rid stress from our lives, with little success. The honest truth is that most of us thrive on a little stress in our lives. It’s what keeps us going, striving for achievements. So consider this as a possibility - if we worked on embracing stress as a part of normal life but learned to manage our response to our stressors better?
Stress is a normal part of life and the body's reaction can be through physical, mental and/or emotional changes. There are many causes of stress, indeed it creeps into our lives from many directions. However, our reactions to stress differ based on our genetics, our own circumstances, environment, and life experiences.
In these uncertain times, where we are all told to self-isolate, the not knowing the restrictions on our freedom or the worry of contracting the virus can make even the most laid back of us feel stressed. It's only natural to feel overwhelmed by the current situation we find ourselves in.