Nutrition – Control clarity

As I sit here writing, I am reflecting on my last column in late February. 

Corona virus was becoming a big story and I wrote about the different ways we can strengthen our immune system. It is quite incredible how much the world has changed in these few short months and how vitally important this message has become. 

What I notice now when I talk to clients is that people are feeling fearful, especially the older generation. They are worried that Covid-19 may come back to New Zealand, scared of it spreading through the community, fearful they may catch it and worried we may be forced back into lockdown.

As a nutritionist, I know that fear is a big trigger for emotional eating. When people struggle to deal with their emotions, some turn to food to cope.
If you are feeling fearful and worried, I would love to share an exercise I have been using with clients recently to help deal with worry. It is simple and only takes a few minutes each day.

I call this ‘control clarity’. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.  On one side write ‘these are the things/people/situations I can control’ at the top.  On the other side, write ‘these are the things/people/situations I cannot control’. List everything you can think of in each column. Once you have done this you need to completely let go of everything that is in the column of things you cannot control.  There is no point worrying about things you have no control over.

Focus on what you can control, and take action. 

We can’t control whether or not Covid-19 comes back to our community but we can control our reaction to this situation (for example, we could choose to self isolate).
We can’t control what people write on social media but we can choose whether or not to read it.

We can’t control what people do or say but we can control our reaction to them.

We can’t control if or when a vaccine for Covid-19 is created, but we can choose to take action every day to strengthen our immune system. The most important one is probably sleep. Lack of sleep has been shown to increase vulnerability to viruses so make sure you are getting at least seven hours sleep per night – preferably eight.   Make sure you eat lots of leafy green vegetables, citrus fruit and capsicums for Vitamin C.  Zinc helps boost your immune system and you will find it in oysters, red meat, shellfish, lentils, seeds and nuts.
We can take action every day to improve wellbeing. Choose to exercise regularly and connect with others. Enjoy meals together. Things that were not possible during lockdown are now back within our control. 

Remind yourself daily of all the things you have control over. Take action on whatever you can, and you will quickly act your way out of fear and back into positive thinking.