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Thoughts for Food

© Irene J. Sleight

The 'ol cliche, ”You are what you eat,” can equally be said of what you think. The mind has a powerful influence over the body, and anxiety is often a reflection of negative self-talk. If you were to recall a recent upsetting event, chances are you would experience physical sensations such as a racing heart or butterflies in your stomach. Even visualizing yourself biting into a wedge of lemon can cause you to salivate. Now, just imagine what constant negative thinking does to your health and well-being.

Thoughts often exist below the surface of one’s awareness, and can smolder to a crescendo of seemingly unreasoned feelings or behavior. It zooms by so fast, that panic seems to come from out of the blue. To ease the discomfort, we often busy ourselves with distractions, or over-indulge in food, alcohol, cigarettes, sex, work, or pills to name a few. Some fall prey to emotional turmoil, while others suppress their feelings entirely. Either way, your body is affected by your thinking. If left unchecked, it can deviously erupt into a multitude of stress-related disorders such as headaches, pain, fatigue, allergies, and of course, anxiety and depression.

Your biography becomes your biology. Every life experience you have gets recorded and imprinted in a memory bank. It’s not the experience per se, but rather the interpretation of these events, which determine its affect on the body. Once recorded, all it takes is the slightest cue to push the play button. The thoughts start playing, while emotions and behavior follow suit. Memory is not always so accurate; nonetheless your past can navigate your present thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

When your thinking and worldview are skewed, you lose connection with your authentic self and it begins to automate your life. In the comedy, “Groundhog Day,” Bill Murray plays a character who is forced to relive the same day over and over again. It wasn’t until he creatively discovered ways to change this “same day” experience, which coincidentally transformed his disposition that he finally awoke to a new day.

It can be difficult to let go of past haunts, or to even become aware of how they dictate your life. Sometimes the only way to move away from old thinking patterns is to refocus on the present. While it’s important to consciously become aware of the thoughts you feed yourself, it is equally important to change the menu of daily life. It doesn’t have to be drastic. You can make subtle changes by simply taking a different route to work, starting a gratitude journal, ordering something unusual for lunch, or perhaps saying hello to a stranger. Can you remember the simple things from childhood that made you smile? Take time each day to discover ways to nurture your soul. By making even the smallest change, you feel more alive -less automated and anxious.

The copyright of the article Thoughts for Food in Anxiety is owned by Irene J. Sleight. Permission to republish Thoughts for Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.