The Roots of Anxiety

Anxiety...what is it? Why does it feel so damn terrifying?

Let's zoom out for a second and wear our emotional eating glasses as we look at this topic. Stress eating, sounds familiar? Why does it feel like a life or death situation? Well, because it is. Neural pathways begin in the brain and are connected to the rest of the body, where they produce very real effects, such as painful changes in muscles, nerves, and/or internal organs.

When we lose our connection to our bodies, to our guts, to our intuitive intelligence, the only thing available becomes a mental response where we need to control what's going on around us because of a trigger into the sympathetic nervous system response, where being in our bodies feels like too much to handle. So going into our minds and separating from the experience of life, the experience of feeling, is what our system needs. This is why embodiment is so important. Somatic (of the body) practices are a type of therapy that focuses on restoring self-regulation by releasing pent-up survival energy, allowing the nervous system's natural responses to complete their cycle.

“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves.”

― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

some symptoms of

GASTRONOMIC ANXIETY

I. Stress Eating

stress and binge eating are a common symptom of anxiety - unattended. if we can notice that our lack of satisfaction with food isn't about hunger, but about a deeper need to hide or fight, which leads to any addictive tendency. that could be smoking, obsessive exercise, or chronic criticism of our bodies. let's notice there's an unmet need in this situation - it's not necessarily about the food

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II. Social Dining Anxiety

many of us may be seen as the most charming, confident, and socially intelligent people in groups. however, the experience eating in public can be mortifying and disempowering. feeling rushed and paranoid around what to eat in a group, how we're being analysed by others, and what they might think of us based on our food choices may get us out of our center and into a disembodied and defensive social dining experience

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III. Loss of Appetite

anxiety can show up as nausea and a loss of appetite, triggering all sorts of worries and doubts. losing appetite from an anxious response can counterintuitively make us seek food, leading to stress eating, or not eating and feeling completely drained and fatigued

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don’t fear anxiety

So, what are some ways we can become more resilient to this anxiety? How can we set boundaries with these anxious parts that show up and not feel victimized by them? Below are some tips to step out of our fight flight reaction when we're around food.

by naming the part of us that is showing up, either to ourselves or to someone with us, creates a magical and alchemical response. here it's not about naming it in order to get an instant therapeutic session. instead, it's about acknowledging and releasing the loneliness and shame of what's happening internally.

powerful phrases: "a part of me feels like I'm not okay" or "a part of me wants to run away"

placing a hand on our chest or collarbone area can be a transformative experience. this works because it takes us back to a nourishing experience of regulation- just like being cradled by our caretaker when we're babies. this act is soft, gentle, and surprisingly empowering. others might get confused as to why we are doing that, but it is important to stay loyal to our needs. this is how we create boundaries with our destructive thoughts and prioritize our needs instead of our vanity

internal silence is the haven our scared parts could be asking for. Silence is sacred, and it can be the direct doorway to ur Empowered Selves. by setting the intention to do absolutely nothing and step away from any decision making, any consuming, and any "fixing", we can show our nervous system that we are okay and we don't need to change anything. some powerful phrases to tell ourselves are "I am okay" & "silence"

let's invoke our higher self, our ideal self, our confident self... whatever feels right in the moment. they know that we have everything we need in this moment and they have every capacity to bring peace and grace into this moment. let's come back to humility and ask for help, ask for clarity, ask for whatever it is that our parts need in this moment. it's all available to us with them - which is why knowing our purpose and who we want to be is of utmost importance (see p6)

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“focus on your breath

all the rest is drama”

-yoga teacher 2015

xx,

Sarah Kurdi Belendez