I forgot my lunch the other day.
An irregular schedule—along with a schedule’s habits—is one of those odd pitfalls of hybrid work that I didn’t see coming.
So it’s become a pattern for me, on those two days each week that I drive into my office, to forget to pack a lunch.
Annoyed, I figured I just wouldn’t bother. I could make it until dinner, right?
~
Cut to later that afternoon, I am back home, discussing a household project with my wife, and finding myself increasingly irritated.
About what, exactly? Hard to say. Maybe the idea of the project in general? It was nothing specific that my wife said, yet I felt piqued, frustration rising.
It was only after dinner that my thoughts wandered back to the project.
Why had I been so upset?
It hit me: I was hungry. I was hangry.
I told my wife and she laughed. I laughed, too.
But I also wondered: How often does this happen?
~
Having realized that hunger was at the root of my meltdown, two unrelated pieces of advice zinged into my head.
The first was from interview advice I compiled for our pursuit teams about needing to “take care of yourself” before an interview.
To quote—my own words!—”If you are stressed, tired, hungry, hungover, or otherwise operating at less than 100%, you will not interview at 100%.” (I recall being pleased at the double hung in that group of adjectives.)
I go on to say: “The day of an interview is not a great day to be adventurous with your diet, start your fasting regimen, or quit caffeine.”
Huh.
Do as I say, not as I do?
~
The other piece of advice that zinged me was something I saw earlier that same day—the day of my unintentional fasting regimen.
Having recognized, intentions or lack thereof aside, that I was embarking on a momentary fast of sorts, I googled “fasting tips.”
Several clicks later, I was reading an article on “How to Fast Safely” and saw the following under a section on “How to Get Through a Fast?”: “Keep your mind active and don’t obsess over the clock during your fast.”
A busy day in the office made following this advice easy enough.
But this distraction has a cost. I was successful at not consciously thinking about hunger…but my body wasn’t about to forget.
~
Hunger—and this should surprise no one—is pretty destabilizing.
Even when it wasn’t at the top of my mind, when I wasn’t “feeling” hungry, the hunger still lurked in the background of my brain and pulled strings on my emotions.
It’s hard to step away from your emotions in the moment and reflect on them. It’s harder still to do this and question their source. (Far easier to slip down the slope of catastrophe, thinking about how you’re feeling this way because you’re screwed up for such and such reason, etc.)
It’s hard to admit that your emotions may actually be your body talking to you. Hey there! Hey you! I’m struggling here! Can we have some tacos, already?
So, next time I skip lunch, I’ll pay more attention to my body. We need to talk household projects? Let’s talk over dinner.
Taylor Coe 