Decoding Chocolate Cravings

There is something very comforting about the sensation of chocolate melting in your mouth!

While there may be many physiological and/or psychological reasons for chocolate cravings, I personally find that I crave chocolate when I am under stress or am having to juggle multiple responsibilities at once.

Being a mom to an active ten-year-old plus a super active toddler keeps me on my feet each day!

The current spike in Covid cases has made schooling go virtual again, which means more work than usual for parents. Apart from constantly ensuring that my son is focused during class time, there’s more homework to oversee, more sibling squabbles to handle through the day, and bigger messes to clean up around the house.

On the one hand, it does feel amazing to have the beautiful energy of children light up your home. You get to enjoy kisses, hugs, joy, laughter, innocence, and playfulness throughout the day. On the other hand, it can also be exhausting in some ways and you end up feeling like you need a break from all the noisy activity and clutter. If you are a parent, you most certainly understand what I mean!

On most days, I do have my family oversee the kids for a while so I can take some time off. But there are days when I am the sole caregiver throughout the day.

Recently, I had one such day. I was on parenting duty from morning until night. When my husband finally arrived and I was able to enjoy some solitude, I began to crave chocolate!

I stood near the refrigerator pondering if I was reaching out to chocolate for the right reasons.

I asked myself if I should give in to my craving or manage it with grit and determination and allow it to pass naturally.

And you know what?

I chose to give in to the craving!

My reasons for doing so –

From the perspective of health, I would have been concerned if I had felt the need to eat an entire bar of chocolate. Since Reiki practice helps me stay very tuned in to my body, I am very conscious of what I put into my body, and also how much. As far as chocolate is concerned, all I ever eat is one piece or a maximum of two (if the pieces are tiny). And I have no medical conditions that make chocolate a no-no. As I understand, a small amount of chocolate is not harmful to my body in any way.

From the psychological and energetic perspectives, I had had a difficult day, laced with some bitter moments.

So was I craving some sweetness on the subconscious level? Possibly.

Would this amount to comfort eating? Most likely.

While I am certainly not for comfort eating as a routine, I am OK with it as an occasional indulgence. I am human. I believe it is OK to indulge ourselves in small ways at times. If a piece of chocolate can help me re-connect to the sweetness of life on difficult days, then so be it! It’s not like every day is difficult.

And guess what?

I did feel lighter and energised after allowing myself this small sugary indulgence.

After spending the evening being ‘Snappy Mom,’ to my children ‘I was back to being ‘Happy Mom!’

I hope this article inspires you to decode your chocolate cravings!