Episode 14: Returning to regular life after a global pandemic

In this week’s episode, Jessica is discussing the topic: “Returning to Regular Life after a Pandemic”.  The last 365+ days have been a rollercoaster and, rightfully so, this major change has affected many of our habits and routines. The lifting of the restrictions can even bring up new feelings of anxiety as our world begins to return to “normal”.

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Connect with Jessica on Instagram: @shiftnutritioncounselling

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Intro
Welcome to the art and science of eating. I’m Jessica Begg, registered dietician and clinical counsellor. I worked for fifteen years in programs for the treatment of eating disorders. I now help those that struggle with emotional eating and their relationship with their body. This podcast is where I answer questions to help people along this bumpy journey to creating peace with both food and their body.

Podcast

Hi everyone, and welcome back to The Art and Science of Eating. I hope you’re doing well and taking care of yourself.

Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about this week — taking care of yourself as COVID-19 restrictions are slowly being lifted.

Recently with my clients, we’ve been talking about life restarting: people returning to offices, maybe being able to see friends and family in person again. And while on the surface this is what we’ve all been waiting for, it also brings so much new anxiety around seeing people in person again.

Our lives have turned upside down and sideways this past year and a half.

Here in Canada, we’re slowly seeing our numbers go down as most of us have gotten our first vaccination, and second vaccinations are well on their way. However, this past year has been a difficult one for literally everyone on this planet. No one has been untouched.

Anxiety and isolation have been driving forces behind so many of us feeling overwhelmed, sad, lonely, and generally what people have been calling “languishing.”

Our bodies have suffered from the physical, mental, and emotional demands of almost 18 months of living this topsy-turvy life.

Because of this, not only has our connection with our bodies changed due to the destruction of our previously normal routines and activities, but for many of us this has also come with physical changes to our bodies.

And like a moth to a flame, those in the diet, toxic health, and wellness arenas are working their butts off to make us feel like this is something we need to fix or atone for.

Companies like Noom or Weight Watchers are pushing their wares like their lives depend on it, and everyone around us is talking about how their bodies have changed, thinking this is something that is wrong or needs to be fixed.

So this is what I want you to remember:

This has been a global pandemic. A global pandemic.

Millions of people have died. Markets have crashed. Millions of people have lost work. We will be talking about and researching this period of time for generations to come, just like the world wars and other catastrophic events.

Do you think that during this type of time your body may change? Absolutely.

Should you be compassionate with yourself and your body as it has done its absolute best to maintain your safety during this massively troubling time? Yes.

Second, will returning to our new regular life be difficult? Yes.

Should you take it easy and allow yourself some time and space to figure out your own four-stage restart plan? Yes.

Take your time to figure out the boundaries that you need to keep yourself safe during this transition.

And lastly, just because other people are panicking about weight gain or talking about weight loss doesn’t mean you have to as well.

You will do much better with a more self-care-focused approach.

After this difficult year, it doesn’t make sense to subject yourself to more pain and suffering. Not that there’s ever really a good time for that, but more than any other time, this is definitely not the time.

You can take another approach.

When someone else talks about their new diet, you can redirect the conversation with something like: “Yeah, I’m spending my time and energy slowly reconnecting with my friends. This time has been so isolating, and honestly it’s hard to be social again.”

You can also respond gently with something along the lines of: “Dieting and weight loss often lead to weight cycling, which increases cortisol, inflammation, and disordered eating. I’m choosing to care for my body in more grounded and centred ways.”

Make these responses your own, but think about them ahead of time because you’re probably going to be blindsided by somebody’s offhand comment.

We will get through this transition back to normal life soon, and I hope you can do it in a way that feels safe for you.

In the meantime though, keep up the good work because you’re doing a smash-up job.

I’ll talk to you next week.

Outro
This podcast is for education and information purposes only. Please consult your own healthcare team to discuss what is right for you and your care.