De-Stress In Non-Food-Related Ways
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Welcome to Day 5 of the Healthy Holidays Challenge, powered by Compass One Healthcare!
By the time you sit down for a meal, you’re probably physically hungry and emotionally depleted. Does this sound familiar? The combination of these circumstances can quickly lead to emotional eating, which often involves less-than-healthy food choices.
It’s crucial to find healthy outlets to de-stress that don’t include food. This will help you maintain a nutritious diet while implementing healthy self-care tactics to reduce anxiety and stress.
Try one of these ideas:
- Express yourself: Many nurses resort to overeating as a way of stuffing back their feelings. Try to let those feelings out in healthy ways — keep a journal or talk to a coworker or loved one.
- Take a moment: If you get very limited break time, use what you can to de-stress. Instead of going directly to the break room to scarf down vending machine chips, spend a few minutes someplace quiet and focus on your breathing.
- Think before you eat: You may tell yourself that you’re ravenous and you need that treat in front of you to satisfy your hunger. Before you do, use The American Diabetes Association’s Hunger Rating Scale to determine if you’re really hungry or eating for other reasons.
- Show support in non-food ways: Next time you think about bringing in a dozen donuts for the staff as a reward, consider a non-food treat, such as flowers or thank-you notes.
- Forgive yourself: If you’ve experienced a slip-up, accept it and move on. Just because you may have mindlessly shoved a cookie into your mouth, doesn’t mean you need to eat the rest of the box.
Find this helpful? Use the social media links on the left side of your page to share this tip with a nurse and invite them to join Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation!
Share your experience in the challenge with us in in the update thread here. You can also post a photo from your favorite day of the challenge in our private Facebook group, or on Twitter, or Instagram. Tag us with #healthynurse.
Missed day 4? Catch up here. Join us on day 6.
Sponsored by Support from Morrison Healthcare, A Division of Compass One Healthcare
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Challenge Tips
11/12/2021 2:12pm CST
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