Eating Well is a Form of Self-Care
Self-care doesn’t have to come in the form of pedicures, bubble baths, or a new piece of clothing. You can practice self-care just by the choices you make about the foods that you put into your body.
Self-care is typically defined as “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” I find it interesting that there is an emphasis on periods of stress in the definition. This is interesting because the times that we practice self-care the LEAST, are when we are stressed! And, when we are stressed, most times, we turn to food to cope with the stress. However, as we can see, moments of stress call for self-care the most – as an intervention and as a preventive measure.
By expanding your self-care tool box to include eating well and healthy, you are shifting your mental paradigm to begin thinking differently about your food choices in times of stress… and, in general. If you can start paying attention to your food choices and asking yourself (especially in times of stress), “Am I taking care of my body by eating this?”, “Do these food choices demonstrate self-care?”, or “What do I need right now?” – you automatically disrupt the pattern of eating out of stress and initiate a new pattern of eating well to control the stress. That’s powerful! No diet plan, meal plan, Keto, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Low Carb, or Paleo diet program could ever teach that!
Dr. EbonySelf-care means doing something for yourself that elevates you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
And, this is what eating from a place of self-care looks like. You can ask those same questions when grocery shopping, choosing dinner, planning for lunch, brunch with friends, whenever! By simply asking myself these questions on a regular basis, I stay aware and mindful of what I am putting in my body and I don’t consume unnecessary foods and calories, thereby still hitting my goals, if I want to!
