Empty Nest?

Did your youngest just leave home? Wow, it’s SUCH a perfect time to go all-organic, exercise and finally focus on taking care of yourself.

But…yet you might find yourself longing for comfort foods, even misting up at that box of mac and cheese that you weren’t very interesting in before. What’s going on??

Give yourself some time. Really. It’s a major shift in your life. Allow it to rock you for a while. The only real deadline is that it would be nice to regain your balance before the holidays throw you off again.

Our emotions are inextricably connected to our food. I give myself 5 to 7 days to react food-wise to something big. If you restrict and fight with emotional cravings following a big emotional event, you can actually prolong the process. Eating is sometimes THE WAY we process emotions.

It’s not wrong. It’s just something to be aware of.

One way to minimize the impact of emotional eating is to continue to eat A LOT of vegetables and drink water in between your comfort food. You can also try to make healthier versions of your comfort food, with whole grains and high quality ingredients. Focus on putting good stuff IN rather than restricting the “bad” food.

Your cravings will wane when your emotions wane. Allowing yourself to feel is quickest way through, so notice if you are eating to numb yourself. Then just keep drinking water, walking, eating your greens and nourishing yourself with the fun in your life.

And maybe learning how to text might be a way to stay in contact with your baby who flew the nest. it’s not THAT hard. Really!

Next month we’ll talk about how to get extra-balanced before the holidays hit, so we can ride the roller coaster and come off unscathed!

Filed under: 1