Taking Control
Here’s what’s been on my mind while my family of five shelters in place in our small condo in Chicago to help prevent the spread of the virulent coronavirus:
In times of crisis: stress, trauma, gnawing uncertainty... however you define it, many of us (me included) instinctively look for things in our lives to control. I find this so facinating. If we can control something, anything, it will make us feel more in control, less anxious, less bad about whatever else is going on.
One thing that’s easy to control, and many people’s go-to in times of crisis, is food. Our drive to control our food can be a helpful thing, or a very harmful thing. A few factors determine the outcome: food and nutrition knowledge, genetic tendencies, and our environment.
Let’s start with our environment: the more stressed we are, the less capable we are of planning ahead. As a result, we respond to what’s around us (our environment) - the food that’s around us. This might be the food that pops up in the form of billboards while we’re driving, commercials while we’re facing a screen, flashy displays while we’re shopping, or simply what we’ve stashed in our cupboards or fridge. We’re drawn to the foods that make us feel good NOW, rather than planning ahead for what’s best for our future bodies.
Next, our genetic tendencies: these will determine how obsessive we’re likely to get in our effort to control our food. For many people, efforts to control what and how much we eat transform into disordered eating behavior which can ultimately turn into an eating disorder that in turn controls you.
And lastly, food and nutrition knowledge. The more we know about what foods are best for our bodies, the easier it is to make the choices that lead to feeling in control, strong, happy and healthy. Sadly, our primary resource for this knowledge is the internet and if you don’t already have some background knowledge of food and human physiology, and how to avoid being taken advantage of, you’re doomed. You’ll feel less in control than when you started.
So feel free to use food as a tool to help you feel in control, but watch for pitfalls:
If you start to get obsessive about which foods you eat, how they’re prepared or how much you’re eating, back off. One way to guage how obsessive you’re being is by the impact you have on other people.
If you feel ashamed of what you’ve eaten or how much, back off.
If you follow a diet you read about on the internet (keto, fasting, vegan) and it doesn’t feel right for your body, back off. No matter how many other people said it resulted in rapid weight loss and long lasting happiness. If you’re not sure whether it feels right, seek out an RDN for help, or do some digging into mindful eating and listening to your body.
Other things you can try to control if food doesn’t work out: the music in your life, which online workouts to do and how often, the temperature in your bath or the smell of the soap or essential oils you add, how well nourished your houseplants are, how much and what you read, the dust in your house, or how many deep breaths you take per day.