Let's be real. When I am tired, when I have a pile of papers on my desk that all insist on immediate attention, when I have to talk to human beings more than once or twice a day, I am stressed. And when I am stressed and hungry, I don't think broiled fish with spinach & horseradish with brown rice. I think chili cheese dog. And then I feel yucky and stressed.
And we call that Tax Season.
As Annie, Karen, and other brilliant people have said, when you are stressed, you need a layer of comfort, and you need a little sweetness. But remember that a layer of comfort is not necessarily a pound of mashed potatoes and a little sweetness is not necessarily a pint of ice cream. And never mix them --- I learned that the hard way.
One thing I've gotten from Eating the Angel Way on a fairly regular basis is a new perspective. It's shifted my paradigm! (I haven't used that word this year, so I just threw it in.) Now, when I'm stressed and need a layer of comfort and sweetness, I often DO think of Greek yogurt with blueberries. And I savor it like those chicks on the TV ads who get paid to eat yogurt and look like they are having an orgasm. And I feel satisfied and NOT YUCKY. I get the layer of comfort without the layer of grease. What can I say?
I do keep Hershey's kisses in the office too. Sometimes I want a little milk chocolate, and since I've quit saying no to my ornery self, I've been able to eat one or two pieces rather than a whole bag. And believe it or not, there are days I don't eat any at all.
I feel better grounded in Eating the Angel Way right now, and I'm hoping that grounding will help me pick the right comfort and the right sweetness for me. And if that is occasionally a bowl of mashed potatoes topped with ice cream, then so be it. But only occasionally.
