When our trauma is over-coupled with our food, our food and/or food experience becomes triggering.
So what are we to do?
Food Triggers
If we’re told our whole lives that eating certain kinds of food, certain amounts of food, etc. is bad, when we begin to do the ‘bad’ things, it’s not going to feel so great!
An unprocessed trauma response and that’s completely normal.
Just because something doesn’t feel good, doesn’t means it’ bad. We’re simply being presented with a response that we then get to deal with.
Fats, protein, carbs, sugar – these are all nutrients our bodies need.
Unfortunately, many of us grow up believing that we need to watch how much of these we eat.
But, again, our bodies need these types of foods to function. We don’t get a say in the physiology behind that.
If we don’t get these needs met, we will experience short- or long-term dysfunction.
Where are you eating your food?
For some of us, it’s not just the food that feels triggering, it’s the environment in which we’re eating.
Take a moment to think about your every day life, if a room feels cluttered, you may begin to feel overwhelmed and not able to think or process as you usually does.
When our food is disordered, it’s the same!
Consider these three tips when it comes to setting up your food experience and environment to be inviting :
- What is your eating situation? Is it too loud or too quiet or too cluttered? Consider shifting to another room or going outside. Find a spot that feels less threatening.
- Build a nest. Find items in your home that can support you as you eat. Maybe this is a blanket, arms pillows, a lap desk, balls underneath your food.
- Getting overwhelmed still? Take a break to re-regulate and come back.
Let’s dive deeper into these topics in the following videos.
