intentionally eating treats at work
In the hospital, patients and their families have a beautiful, universal way of showing their appreciation for the nursing staff.
With donuts! Cookies! And sometimes, on my lucky day, one of those fruit bouquets with chocolate dipped strawberries. Yes! That, I could actually eat.
I love that the families want to show us their gratitude and appreciation for all the dedicated work hospital staff put into taking care of them.
But what is the downside to these treats? They show up in the break room ALL THE TIME.
The attitude we caregivers have is that we need to show our appreciation of the gift by actually eating it.
Do you really want to eat the donut or cookie each time?
I offer up the following reframe.
Decide, before you enter the hospital (or where ever you work), if you are, or are not, going to eat the treats that day. Make an intentional decision before you see the pink box.
On the days you decide, yes I will eat the treat today, then do it with pleasure and no regret. Smell the donut and enjoy the texture. Intentionally use all your senses to savor the treat.
On the days you decide you will not partake, enjoy the freedom of having made the decision. Once you decide, it's done! Temptation will continue to decrease the more you make the decision, stick to it, and honor your commitment to yourself. Truly.
In my experience, it was best to have a statement ready to go when staff members would tell me, “oh Sarah you are so good!” (for not eating the sugary treat)
I replied with, “ya, that’s not for me today”. Or, “I don’t eat those.”
Over time everyone came to accept that I just don’t eat gluten or sugar treats; they would make me feel irritable, shaky, and give me a headache. And then, people actually started asking me how I was able to resist because they wanted to give up the treats too! I would tell them the essence of what this post contains and hence, this blog post was born :)
You also need to get clear on the reasons you no longer want to eat the cookies, donuts, candy and other sugary “foods” in the break-room. Are you hoping to:
Feel more energy during your shift, without a post-sugar dip
Lose or maintain weight
Keep your mood stable
Decrease inflammation in your body
Avoid effects of processed foods
With your solid reasons in place you are strengthening your vision for your desired health. These reasons will beef up your resolve to not have the treats.
Have something in your locker or the fridge ready to go when it’s your break time. Think protein: meat sticks, hard boiled eggs, leftover chicken on salad, carrots/celery/bell peppers and hummus. It’s much easier to say “no thank you” when you are full and nourished, and not shaky with hunger since you haven’t had a moment yet to eat.
Our bodies don’t want the sugar in the break-room, they want protein and fiber! Give your body the gift of making a decision whether or not to eat the treats, and stick to it.
If you really want to have something sugary or feel the need for a pick-me up, drink sparkling water or green tea. Stretch, deep breathe, or have a small piece of dark chocolate. My coworker always had the small individually wrapped Ghirardelli chocolates in her locker for these occasions! Genius.
Not eating the food brought in by families (or coworkers) doesn’t mean you aren’t grateful for the patients who want to give everyone a treat. I still say thank you and am genuinely happy for their gesture. I enjoy giving the patient a hug and really feeling gratitude for their kindness.
For me gratitude feels like a blossoming pressure in my chest that lifts me up. How do you feel gratitude? When you take the time to really feel the sensation of gratitude in your body, the energy of the emotion, that will be enough.
The patient and family will feel your gratitude for them as well.
And the cells in your body are genuinely happy you didn’t give them the “gift” of inflammation and blood sugar spikes.
Your work:
When was the last time you made a decision to care for yourself and stuck to it?
How did you feel?
What foods are you committing to putting in your fridge or bringing to work?
The more often you don’t eat sugar, flour, and refined grains, your brain’s neural pathways will change and you will start to crave sugar and flour less. Imagine how that would feel, a life with less addiction to sugar. What would that give you?