Take a moment to check in with yourself and notice if you’re feeling any stress right now. Is there tension in your body? Worries on your mind? Given the fast-paced life so many of us lead, we may constantly feel stress, which can also be a trigger for overeating.
We’ve been closely following the fields of neuroscience and mindfulness, and we’d like to share a small piece of wisdom that comes from [private_membership circle]Rick Hanson, author of Buddha’s Brain. Rick explains that when we’re feeling stressed, we’re in our sympathetic nervous system (SNS) – the same system that gives us that fight-or-flight response so that if we see a bear, we can respond. Even though most of use aren’t too worried about bears, being on high alert can be helpful if we’re in an emergency, taking an exam, performing on stage, or even getting our creative juices flowing. But when our SNS is operating 24/7, stress hormones flood our body and have a negative effect on our physical and mental well-being.
Fortunately, when we’re in our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) our bodies and minds slow down, leaving us with a feeling of relaxation and contentment. The PNS is our natural state of equilibrium, and moving from our SNS to our PNS is within our conscious control. In fact, it’s easier than you might think!
We’ve heard the expression (although we’re not sure who to attribute it to…) that you can’t be anxious and relaxed at the same time – we encourage you to do a quick experiment. (We know that some of you have already developed mindfulness practices. But even so, it may feel good to take a moment right now!)
Sit comfortably with both feet flat on the ground. After you read these instructions, close your eyes, placing one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdomen. Start to breathe through your nostrils, keeping your breaths even and smooth as you send the oxygen to your diaphragm. Your upper hand should stay relatively still, while your lower hand should rise and fall with each breath. Allow yourself to take 10 of these deep breaths – more if you prefer – before slowly opening your eyes.
Ready? Begin!
How was that for you? Could you feel your mind slow down? Your body relax? You may have noticed that your mind wandered away from your breathing at times, and we want to reassure you that’s okay. In fact, we expect that to happen. When you notice your mind wandering, gently return to your breath.
This is just one of the many techniques that can help you move from your SNS to your PNS. As a diet survivor, you may choose to use mindfulness or mediation practices as an alternative to reaching for food in a moment of discomfort, and that’s fine. We’d also encourage you to cultivate this practice on a regular basis to increase the calmness and balance you feel within yourself.
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Eat well! Live well! Be well! Judith Matz and Ellen Frankel, are co-authors of The Diet Survivor’s Handbook, Beyond a Shadow of a Diet www.dietsurvivors.com Chicago Center for Overcoming Overeating: 847.267.1200
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