Caregiver Stress: Eating to Beat It (Naturally and Spiritually)

 Stress for caregivers can't be measured, leveraged, or turned off. I don't think anyone will argue that caregivers live stressful lives. In fact, my own stress was the reason I started this blog 15 years ago. I started out just writing what I needed to hear. And here we are! 

Caregiver stress can lead to burnout if we don't manage it. But that's no small task. 

As believers, we know how to soothe our spirit. I have my go-to verses that I lean on and put at the forefront of my mind every single day. I may sit at the piano and sing the verses to make sure they are tucked into my heart. Or I might use them to write a new tune while I strum my guitar. I memorize scriptures and meditate on them. The word has definitely been what has gotten me through some of the roughest passages and darkest nights. Here are a few that I find myself running to over and over again.

• Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
• Isaiah 43: 1-3 - God is with us as we go through the fire and the waters of life.
• Hebrews 13:5 - God will never leave me or forsake me - even when things get tough.
• Romans 8:38-39 - Absolutely nothing can separate me from God's love. He didn't stop loving me when I became a caregiver.

You get the idea. Many of these have been used for devotions for caregivers over the years. I know there are many more, and we personalize our lists, right? I look back at the different characters in the Bible to find encouragement. I'm sure you do, too. We could think about this in a different way - I know how to feed my soul (mind will emotions) when I am stressed or things are tough. We run to scriptures to soothe our minds and give it something to focus on as we work through our stress.

Did you know we can do the same for our bodies?

The body doesn't always deal with stress well. We can gain or lose weight based on how we deal with stress. But there are some things you can do to help your body handle stress better. Of course, exercise, hydration, and sleep are all helpful. But there are foods that can help calm your body, too.

When you are stressed out, your body reacts negatively. It's on overload, just like your mind is. Feeding it highly-processed foods can actually add to physical stress. Now it has to work harder to digest all that greasy, salty, messy non-food substances and it's even more stressed out. I actually have a specific eating plan I switch to when I am overly stressed - you know, those times when it's a LOT more than the normal day-to-day stress of caregiving. Think hospital stays.. stuff like that.

That's when I take it easy on my body and make sure I give it fresh, easily digestible foods to help relieve bodily stress. Here are a few foods that I've found to help the body relax.

• Avocados
• Whole grains (rice, oatmeal)
• Berries (specifically blueberries)
• Simple scrambled eggs and toast
• Red lentils (I have a couple of killer red lentil soup recipes!)
• Almonds
• Chamomile tea

When I know I am stressed way above and beyond, I shift to an easy, simple meal plan so my body doesn't have to work as hard to digest food. It doesn't need the added stress. 

It's so important to take care of our bodies and our souls. Caregiver stress covers our whole being, and God can give us the wisdom we need to manage both effectively. Just like I run to the word when my soul is wrung out, I can give my natural body what it needs during those times, too.

Today, I'll remind myself that God created us body, soul, and spirit. I'll think about how He must expect us to nurture and care for our whole beings. My thoughts will be on what I can do for each facet of my being and how I can take my heart, soul, mind, and body to God and ask Him to help. He takes care of our whole being...and I will trust Him to lead me in the right paths as I trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

Today is a good day to peace out! Check out my 31-day devotional on Kindle or in Print!

It's now available on Apple Books! 

You can also get the eBook in my shop at BuyMeACoffee!