comfort food

As the leaves fall and the seasons change.. yada yada yada.. Its about to get COLD. And one of the things we know we want to be is warm. Odd that we crave warmth right after Summer though. So is it cold or warmth that we seek, because it is easy to remember sitting in a room with the A/C blasting to cool us off just a month ago. It would seem that our happiness is conditional. Much like Goldie Locks in the tale of the 3 bears, we humans want our porridge, and our environments “just right”.

From a biological perspective our bodies are always seeking to find and maintain homeostasis, and that may be wise for several reasons. It become difficult for us to function in too drastic of temperatures. There is also something else though. Consciously we seek comfort from the external dangers of our lives as well as a familiarity to our surroundings. New places are unknown and we like to keep things, including our food at least similar to what we know. Diet though is an interesting thing, because we sometimes find ourselves seeking refuge in tubs of ice cream or fatty foods that provide very little nutritional value. What is that about?

We call these dishes and snacks “comfort foods” for a reason. In the same way a cozy bed (particularly one with an Eva Bed Base) with the best weighted blankets on it feels on a lazy morning, comfort provides us the chance to not only process but to rest. We have more rapid eye movement when we sleep comfortably and our brains have a chance to manage stress when we are adequately rested. But if you are on the wrong bed or in a noisy neighbor hood, or are unable to settle your mind then your sleep will be less effective.

The trick for some is wearing a sleeping mask and ear plugs. This brings up a wild point. CONTROL. If we sleep better when we reduce the noisy of the outside world, then are we not more effective when we are able to reduce obstacles to our goals? Some would say yes, but others, notably R&B singer and former Miss America, Vanessa Williams.

In Williams’ 1992 single she tells us:

After a hard day’s work
There’s one thing to be certain of
This ol’ familiar love
It’s not unusual to find that it’s sensual
It’s all you need to let go

There’s no need to try
Or compromise
Or settle for another outside of my love

The thing to do
When you get through
Heed the message seek the comfort of my zone.

Some say that the comfort zone is dangerous. Just like it is the laziness that keeps us in bed on Sunday can be a bad thing on Monday. It can be this same comfort that keeps us from personal growth.

This month we will research and discuss this topic and at the end of the month host an event that allows us to glean insights from our feelings around comfort in realtime.

Hope to see you there!

m.Paisley

founder & EIC