COVID-19 has seen many of us experience a gamut of emotions from fear, to anxiety, to emotional fallout to uncertainty but most of us have discovered we’re made of very resilient and resourceful stuff. Some people have used isolation/quarantine as a time to work out and transform themselves physically while others have turned to junk food and eating their feelings.
Whatever you’ve done has been right for you. Don’t beat yourself up if you feel it wasn’t ideal. There’s been no right or wrong way in this journey. My school sent out a missive relating to this yesterday – it’s about an emotional eating course they’re running.
I ate my feelings for years and can still fall off the wagon at times but I’m much more balanced now. However, emotional eating really is a ‘thing’, which is why some people have been eating more than usual or indulging in ‘treats’ since coronavirus took over the world.
Food has the power to make us feel good and not so good. In fact, we can nutritionally boost our ‘happy hormones’ with food. Our ‘happy’s’ include dopamine, serotonin, and beta endorphins, low levels of which will make us feel less than on top of the world.
So here are three things you can do to give your ‘happy hormones’ some va va voom and to distract yourself from eating if your feeling sad, uncertain, lonely, over-excited, bored or..fill in the blank…:
1. Eat Tyrosine Rich Foods
Tyrosine is an amino acid that’s needed to make dopamine and dosing up on it will naturally uplevel your happiness quotient.
Find it in: green tea, apples, avocados, bananas, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, turmeric, beetroot, leafy greens, and watermelon.
2. Soak Up The Sun
This will increase your serotonin. We’ve been so lucky down under with the amount of sunshine Mother Nature has been serving up during COVID-19.
Even if it’s just sitting by the window for ten minutes, exposure to sunlight can help your body convert serotonin into melatonin, the hormone essential for high-quality sleep. In turn, your body gets the rest it needs, which translates to enhanced mood.
3. Move Your Body
This will boost your endorphins. Research has shown time and again that exercise boosts feel-good chemicals. Whether it’s a low-impact workout or a walk, incorporating regular movement into your day can boost your mood.
They’re simple tools, aren’t they? Implementing bite-sized steps can add up to big wins.
Is emotional eating something you need help with? Hit me up here if it is.
Thanks for stopping by,
Yours in health & happiness 🌸
