Rest & Digest Playbook
Stress is an inevitable part of our lives. We feel stress and anxiety in our daily life - whether it’s sitting in traffic, meeting a client deadline, or worrying about the future. We go through life feeling stress and having it manifest in different ways. For me, stress always goes hand in hand with poor digestion. They are like two peas in a pod and one can not live without the other.
Over the course my life, I’ve learned different techniques to handle my digestive issues. I often rely on food changes and better nutrition, but I recently learned that “how I eat” is also as important as “what I eat.” There exists this wonderful concept of “rest and digest,” which actually makes sense and I can’t wait to try it out! Let me know your thoughts and hopefully it also works for you.
Here are some ways to calm your nervous system, which will help you digest your food better:
Leave all your problems off the plate. This refers to - don’t think of all the things you have to do while you are eating. Focus on the food. Chew slowly and eat mindfully. Your brain should be focusing on 1 thing during the time of a meal - and that’s the food you are eating. This will help you relax and stay calm during the meal, which impacts gut motility.
Tune in to your body & create awareness of self. Focus on positive thoughts and ideas, visualize your nourishment.
Express gratitude for your food. This may come in the form of a prayer or just self talk. Say thanks for the meal you are about to have.
Eat without distractions. Make eating a priority during that moment. If you can’t drive with your foot on the gas and the break at the same time, what makes you think that you can eat, watch tv and talk on the phone at the same time. Take 10 minutes, put away your phone, and enjoy your food.
Create the ‘safe space’ for a calming meal. The best way to digest your food is when you are in a calm space. Wolfing down a sandwich before the next zoom call doesn’t cut it. Most people do it anyway, but it only hurts your digestion and your ability to process food.
Remember, awareness is key to create change. Pick one thing from this list and try it out!
