Read on Twitter
Hey! Your stomach probably feels like shit right now. I wanna help. A thread!
Under prolonged stress, your sympathetic nervous system inhibits normal appetite signals & digestion, often making you either extremely hungry for simple carbs OR making you forget to eat all together.
Under prolonged stress, your sympathetic nervous system inhibits normal appetite signals & digestion, often making you either extremely hungry for simple carbs OR making you forget to eat all together.
This is because, when undergoing trauma like we all are this week, our bodies wanna make sure we can punch our way out of a dangerous situation, and diverts blood flow to your limbs, heart, and lungs, and totally jacks your hormones.
The good news is that you are more than your body and, w a little awareness, you can take steps to engage other parts of your autonomic nervous system to restore a little balance— so you can stop shitting your pants/being super constipated, and eat more typically without nausea.
Wherever you’re at: the first step is, regrettably, drinking some water which is boring and checking in with yourself a little. I like a quick grounding exercise like butterfly tapping while I take a few deep breaths (link) but use your strategies
This break from your current stimulation patterns slows down your body’s production of stress hormones. Plus we are all dehydrated all the time, personally the only liquids I’ve had today are three diet dr peppers ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Next, you need a snack or meal that you know you digest well. It can be anything! But needs to include a meaningful serving of protein, a carb, and a plant. Some ideas:
Instant ramen w egg & frozen veg
Oatmeal with peanut butter & dried fruit
Fast food sandwich and apple slices
Instant ramen w egg & frozen veg
Oatmeal with peanut butter & dried fruit
Fast food sandwich and apple slices
It doesn’t need to be “healthy” it can be a slice of cake, some tofu, and four oranges. Whatever. You just need the protein to regulate your blood sugar, the carbs to reassure your system nutrients are gonna stay available, and a plant to help you shit normally... or normally-er
The next step is, imo, the most important:
Write down three other combinations of protein, carb, and plant that you have on hand and you like and stick it on the fridge or your bathroom mirror, so if you get overwhelmed you forget how to eat, you’ve got a back up plan.
Write down three other combinations of protein, carb, and plant that you have on hand and you like and stick it on the fridge or your bathroom mirror, so if you get overwhelmed you forget how to eat, you’ve got a back up plan.
Last: set a timer for four hours and check in with yourself again. Chug a glass of water. See if you need a snack. Keep the pattern going and, every time you have your snack, start introducing periods of rest, away from screens/triggers to further break the stress response cycle.
That’s it! That’s one way to eat during or after a crisis that works for me and is based in what I’ve learned through gaining a psychology degree and being in treatment for eating disorders. I’m not a doctor or a therapist (yet!) so officially YMMMV, but I hope it helps.
