In times of stress, I must admit, if I slip up it’s much harder for me to stop slipping up… I really am better off just staying the course and avoiding that first moment of “cracking”.
See, I know when I eat something I’m sensitive to (aka one of my food sensitivities) that it takes my body approximately 3 full days for that inflammatory immune response to come down. So I figure… well… I already slipped up an hour ago… what’s another glutinous cookie now? I’m still in the 3-day window. Ah.
I slipped up a few weeks ago; if you’ve been following I’m sure you know this. But I am happy to report that I’m back on course.
How did I make it back? Here’s what I did:
1. Juice like crazy.
I drink this like it is water. Now, I’m a bit of a princess. I hate cleaning my juicer… I don’t even know where it is anymore, I pick up my juice now. It’s important to know where you can go locally to get quality juice. I like making it a social thing… a date with my son or a friend too and maybe some lunch on the side.
Once I slip up… I gotta get juicing fast and daily for a few days to reset my body and quench any CRAVINGS. Smoothies work too. For my Windsor area people, Healthy Mama has an amazing chocolate hemp smoothie that is my most recent obsession. It’s amazing.
2. Buy everything prepped
When I’m stressed I’m not going to be as organized as I normally am. This means I don’t want to have to think about dinner or prepare it. I don’t want to wash and chop vegetables. I’m buying everything prewashed and chopped to save time and because it will make things easier for me.
When I’m stressed and wanting to munch, that veg tray is right there for me… cause you know nobody is going to stop in the middle of a stressful day and think “I think I’ll just wash chop and peel those carrots instead of eating that cookie my co-worker left in the staff room” buy it pre-done and save yourself the emotional battle.
3. Meditate
One day I had to return to my mat 4 times. Yes… 4 times. Maybe 5. I had to honour that it was just what I needed. My mind wanders if I just sit so I do guided audio meditations (Tara Brach has a full free list on her website and youtube). I also started doing a Kundalini chant. It’s a manifestation chant so I visualize and repeat what I want in my life and I feel it, like really embody and feel it. This helps me change my vibe and keep my intentions set, which ultimately leads to a more positive reality.
4. Move
This doesn’t have to be crazy. I find yoga is great. If that’s not your thing, just walking helps. Even 10 minutes of walking outside in nature can change your mood. One day I was busting it through the grocery store and I realized that I had too much energy to burn. That walk outside really helped centre me again and let off some of the stress that was building at that time. I highly recommend you try it.
5. Honour what’s really going on
I had to get real and honest with myself about what was stressing me out, how I really felt and how I had to heal and *release* it. Yup, surrender. It’s freaking tough. But to be honest just simply addressing the diet isn’t going to cut it. The reason I ate that donut was totally emotional… You know and I know it.
So how can we expect to heal an emotional issue with a nutrition plan alone? Doesn’t work. You gotta work on the underlying cause… why are you stressed in the first place and how can we deal with it other than by eating donuts?
Journaling is also a great tool. You can simply free write about what really going On, getting honest and admitting our true feelings is a great release. Hey, it’s your journal there’s no-one else around to judge or criticise you. LET IT OUT.
Too often I find myself feeling guilty about feeling a certain way but how amazing it is to freely sit with my true emotions, without judgement, honouring that it’s neither good not bad but it simply is. Get real with yourself. Without doing so life just becomes a series of hamster wheels.
Are you looking for more support to help get you on track to living the life you truly want to live? Send me a message or call the clinic at 519.967.0004.
In Wellness,
Dr. Nadia Rizzo ND
