It is not just what we eat but how we eat. How many of us eat at our desks, on the go or rushing between meetings? What does that tell our brain / nervous system? It sends a signal that we are in danger. Instinctively, the only reason we would eat on the run is to get away from a predator. Our natural state is to rest and digest. Eating at our desks edges our nervous system into a sympathetic state or a fight or flight state.

Only eat at your desk or on the go if you are too peaceful and serene and want to increase your anxiety. (har har)

The best is to eat seated, away from your desk, without electronic distractions. Kathleen Bauer, Nourished Health | Nourish your body’s ability to heal itself!

Breathe deeply, which will support your nervous system entering a parasympathetic state, best for calm and digestion. http://www.amsa.org/healingthehealer/breathing.cfm

When we eat, rest and digest.

Discuss.

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Many adults are affected by underlying fears of abandonment. When that is the case, they can often rely heavily on others for validation, anticipate rejection, and often be on alert for signs of disinterest. (Fear of Abandonment: Overcoming the Fear of Being Left Alone (psychalive.org))

This precarious feeling can create triggers and fears that stress the person’s relationships and create emotional swings, even in relationships at work.

 Often overlooked by the person experiencing this fear, the abandonment experience, while real, generally happens to children, not adults. Adults are not get abandoned; they are left. Hence the fears and emotions are not based on the present.

We can all help by:

• being kind to ourselves and one another at work,
• being mindful of triggers and emotions not based on the present, and
• remembering that many people experience these types of fears, and
• remembering it is a natural human thing to occur.

In other words, be easy on ourselves and others.

Discuss.

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About 11% of men and 16% of women will experience major depression during their lives. (2009). That was the old baseline, the old normal.

Coinciding with the pandemic, 7 out of 10 Canadians reported mental distress in part related to the pandemic.

2 out of 5 (40%) reported some level of mental distress in the preceding month.

The most common health conditions are anxiety and depression. This is the current normal.

What does this suggest about our own self-care? What does this suggest about how we treat each other? What are things people can do when experiencing anxiety and depression?

Discuss.

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Life changes constantly.

Sometimes it is important to just show up, receive the day and do the best we can [Noom App].

Consider examples of times when all you could muster is to suit up and show up, and you did.

Discuss.

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Give yourself some positive affirmations.

When things get tough, pause and recognize you are strong, safe, and capable of doing tough things.

Acknowledge you are doing to best you can. 

Discuss.

Take the #20percentchallenge.