Grief is a complicated process that affects everyone differently. Some people may find they want more food, some people find they can't eat at all. I offer my experience and observations here as an example because loss is a part of life. I believe that part of the reason we reject change so much is because change requires us to experience loss in some form or fashion.
Initially I found that all I wanted to eat was comfort food but not much of it. I felt hollow and empty, but without appetite. When I did want to eat, the foods I craved were all comfort foods - rich, pillowy, and buttery. The ones that weren't sweet and creamy were crispy and salty.
As you might expect, after eight weeks or so, I began to feel a bit more pillow-y myself than I'm comfortable with. I reviewed the Ten Guidelines and decided it was time to give some loving attention to the food I was eating.
I took a hard look at what I wanted to change, and what I didn't. For example, I realized I was drinking far more coffee than I wanted to drink in the course of a day. Rather than impose an arbitrary limit on myself that my Rebel Child would only delight in breaking, I decided to stop drinking coffee at nine AM every morning. After nine AM, I decided to drink mineral water (which I really enjoy in summer) or cold tea made with the herbs I grow in my gardens. (My favorite is chocolate-mint.) Because caffiene withdrawal can trigger migraine headaches, I decided that depending on how I felt every afternoon around 3 or 4 PM, I would have one or two cups of coffee in the afternoon. For me, this is a reasonable way to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink every day.
I also looked at the amounts of rainbow foods - fruits and veggies - I've been eating. Predictably, I've been eating a lot of red foods - strawberries, cherries, beets, red potatoes - which correspond to the first chakra. Grief is such a heart-chakra emotion that I immediately decided to add greens to every meal - including breakfast. ("You're eating salad for breakfast?" my husband asked. "Yep," I answered.)
I'll post more about my journey tomorrow, but please feel free to leave your comments and experiences about how grieving has affected your sense of wellness, dear Readers.
Initially I found that all I wanted to eat was comfort food but not much of it. I felt hollow and empty, but without appetite. When I did want to eat, the foods I craved were all comfort foods - rich, pillowy, and buttery. The ones that weren't sweet and creamy were crispy and salty.
As you might expect, after eight weeks or so, I began to feel a bit more pillow-y myself than I'm comfortable with. I reviewed the Ten Guidelines and decided it was time to give some loving attention to the food I was eating.
I took a hard look at what I wanted to change, and what I didn't. For example, I realized I was drinking far more coffee than I wanted to drink in the course of a day. Rather than impose an arbitrary limit on myself that my Rebel Child would only delight in breaking, I decided to stop drinking coffee at nine AM every morning. After nine AM, I decided to drink mineral water (which I really enjoy in summer) or cold tea made with the herbs I grow in my gardens. (My favorite is chocolate-mint.) Because caffiene withdrawal can trigger migraine headaches, I decided that depending on how I felt every afternoon around 3 or 4 PM, I would have one or two cups of coffee in the afternoon. For me, this is a reasonable way to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink every day.
I also looked at the amounts of rainbow foods - fruits and veggies - I've been eating. Predictably, I've been eating a lot of red foods - strawberries, cherries, beets, red potatoes - which correspond to the first chakra. Grief is such a heart-chakra emotion that I immediately decided to add greens to every meal - including breakfast. ("You're eating salad for breakfast?" my husband asked. "Yep," I answered.)
I'll post more about my journey tomorrow, but please feel free to leave your comments and experiences about how grieving has affected your sense of wellness, dear Readers.
2 comments:
I had a giant bowl of broccoli for breakfast this morning, along with some marinated grilled eggplant and zucchini ~ all with a splash or two of balsamic vinegar. This, along with a white-light hard boiled egg delighted me, satisfied me and kept me full though to lunchtime.
I often look for the dinner leftovers to enjoy at breakfast, especially when I'm not in the mood to prepare anything, and more often than not, it includes some aspect of green food.
Peace.
I put brocolli in a grits casserole. It was great, but weirded people out. Oh well. Spinach in an omelete is good.
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