foodtherapy
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Food Therapy

A friend of mine took a new job which is very fast-paced. Every time I called her, She thought she could hardly survive one more day in the new company, so she has been nagging about it from time to time. Anyhow, she finds her way to de-stress from this hectic job. 

No matter how late it is when she is back home. She spends an hour preparing her dinner and another hour to enjoy her meal. The dinner she prepared is nothing fancy but a proper meal for the family – three dishes with a bowl of rice. I’m amazed how she has such an energy to do so when she’s home at 8 p.m. I would have starved to death. The thoughts of comfort food give her the mental power and energy to do so, even the dishwashing. “I love my plates and kitchen spotless clean”, she said it with great excitement. 

Talking about food therapy, I decided not to bring a heavy lunch box to the office every day, but buy take-out from time to time. The new workplace is quite a distance from the subway station and restaurant areas, therefore going out for lunch is such a rush, and there are not many good options. 

Canteen meals are typically oily and not very appetising. Luckily the nearby cafe now offers some pre-order choices. If I really yearn for Thai or Vietnamese food, I always encourage my colleagues to order via a food app together. Trying out a variety of food motivates me to have a more pleasant and productive afternoon. People who are chunky should love themselves for loving good food.  

This simple change of routine definitely makes me happier. I let go of saving every penny by bringing lunch boxes. Unlike a friend of mine, I still do not like to invest a lot of time in cooking dinner. Having more free time to enjoy stretching, exercising, watching TV or even being idle can improve my well-being. 

Recently, people stocked up on sea salt because Japan released nuclear wastewater into the sea. A psychiatrist related this phenomenon to seeking security. Another example is the stocking up of amenities and food during the pandemic. 

My friend’s storeroom is a semi-grocery store. Why does she need 5 chocolate bars, and 5 bottles of detergent while our living space is so limited? She told me that the storage gave her comfort and she was not scared when supermarket shelves were emptied by the crazy crowd. Another friend of mine has an apartment full of canned soup and food, too. 

Even though supermarkets and grocery stores are nearby in Hong Kong, human beings very much need a high level of storage to feel secure and safe

With the typhoon approaching, I purchased more snacks and food to reach that security level and to feel at ease.

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