Oh, I could so eat the entire bakery right now
To continue with my online diary on stress management, this post is about eating habits. How stress affects my stomach.
It makes me want to eat my dog - ok, that's a tad exaggerated, but anxiety does make me hungry and always for the wrong stuff: chocolate, cake, cheese, pizza, you name it. What I do with food -as the more I deny myself the pleasure, the least satisfied I will be with anything- is compromise.
- If I see I may overdo it with chocolate, I go for the pure good stuff. Nothing below %70 cocoa. It's not only healthier and good for your heart and blood, it will fill you up faster, and will cut the craving sooner too, so you don't end up swallowing an entire bar.
- I also drink lots of tea (fruit tea) every time I feel like snacking between meals.
- Sometimes I go for a cup of coffee, although caffeine isn't the best ally when your nerves are at a mighty high, but the smell and warmth of it slows me down and fills my belly, so decaff is definitively the way to go. Hot chocolate also helps.
- I discover new and complicated recipes. I make something fancy or out of the ordinary, anything that will take me quite a while to prepare. The smells and tasting the food as I cook means I won't overfill my plate. Want to see what really helped me stay focused this week? This delicious quiche. I served with with plenty of salad, so the portion was small for my huge appetite, but it filled me up.
Pancetta, mushrooms, tuna, spring onions, pecorino and whatever I had left over in the fridge!
Eating habits and stress become very intertwined in exam periods, travelling and moving, job hunting and other hectic times. Tell me, how do you cope?
Picture: Fashion Limbo