By Ryon Boswell
While stress is a common part of daily life, it affects students’ health if left unmanaged, TR’s health services coordinator said at a workshop.
“Stressed is just desserts backward,” Angela Virgin told TR students at a Wellness on Wheels presentation April 20.
During The Power of Eating, Virgin said people who feel stressed are more likely to experience headaches, weight gain, restlessness and fatigue. Similar to the causes of stress itself, the ways in which students process it varies.
Some people use eating as a method to process stress, Virgin said. This is a harmful habit to pick up as it promotes an unhealthy association with eating. People who eat when they are stressed often do not think about what they are eating or the portions they are consuming. These habits cause health issues such as weight gain, diabetes and high blood pressure over time.
Students can avoid these issues by practicing mindful eating habits, she said.
Mindful eating creates awareness about the physical and emotional feelings connected to eating, Virgin said. This includes paying attention to food selection, picking a time of the day to eat that includes no socialization and being immersed in the richness of the practice of eating.
One of the key practices to mindful eating is eating slowly.
“Take time, slow down and enjoy yourself,” she said.
Slowing down and paying attention to the food allows people to focus on the subtle details about taste.
These practices can reduce stress, improve the function of the digestive system and reduce weight gain by helping students focus on smaller details in their lives, she said.
