Notice this: you're sitting there watching the computer, trying to figure out if that green candle is going to keep climbing or if that red candle is about to ruin your damn afternoon. Do I buy? Do I sell? Do I wait? Do I press refresh one more time as if the chart is personally waiting for me to check again before it decides what it's going to do? Meanwhile, your stomach is growling, but you don't want to leave the chair because apparently the entire financial market might collapse during the seven minutes it takes you to make a sandwich. Welcome to investing. And welcome to my mind.
I sit in front of my computer a lot. Not all day—okay, some days it feels pretty damn close—but enough that I've noticed something about myself. Sometimes I get lazy about eating. Not lazy like I don't care about myself. More like I'm concentrating, reading, researching, writing, watching something move and suddenly I realize I haven't eaten since breakfast. But somehow I've had four coffees. How does that happen? You can spend two hours researching an investment, checking Bitcoin, reading charts, looking at stocks or ETFs and trying to figure out what the hell everybody on the internet is talking about, and forget that the brain you're expecting to make all these brilliant decisions actually needs fuel.
Investing quietly becomes a whole-body activity. Your brain is processing numbers, your emotions are reacting to red and green and your hand is refreshing the same damn chart over and over. Enter. Enter. Enter. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Meanwhile your stomach is down there going, “Excuse me. Are we participating today? Are we eating?” So let's talk snacks. Not “investment snacks” because apparently almonds don't perform differently when the S&P 500 is down. I'm talking about easy food you can prepare ahead of time and keep around so you don't have to choose between feeding yourself and finding out whether your investment moved twelve cents.
One of my favourites is apple slices and peanut butter. Simple. Crunchy. Sweet. Filling. Apples give you carbohydrates and fibre, and peanut butter adds some protein and fat. And let's be honest, peanut butter slows you down a little. You're not inhaling it like six cookies where suddenly you look down and wonder who the hell ate the whole package. Apparently it was you while reading a candlestick chart. Then there are nuts—almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, whatever you actually like. Put some in a little bowl instead of bringing the entire bag to the computer because “I'll only have a few” has betrayed many of us before. Nuts can provide protein, fibre and unsaturated fats, and they're computer-friendly. If you drop an almond, you pick it up. If you spill a bowl of soup across your keyboard while Bitcoin is dropping, you've now got two emergencies.
That's another thing I've realized: if you're going to eat around electronics, think about foods that aren't going to destroy the computer you need to make the money you're sitting there trying to make. Greek yogurt and berries are another favourite. You get protein from the yogurt, some fruit, a little sweetness and something that actually feels like you've eaten. Throw some nuts or chia seeds in there too. And every time I say chia seeds, part of my brain still says Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia. If you're old enough to remember Chia Pets, you're my people. But I digress.
If you want something savoury, there's hummus with vegetables. Carrots, cucumber, peppers, celery—whatever vegetables you genuinely enjoy. And I mean that. Don't buy vegetables you hate just because somebody online told you they're good for you. You're going to stare at that celery for two weeks until it becomes something scientists need to study. Buy food you'll actually eat. Popcorn is quick too. Make it, season it the way you like and get back to whatever you're doing. Cheese and fruit is ridiculously simple. Grapes, cheese, pears, apples—done. Hard-boiled eggs are another easy one because you can make several ahead of time and have them ready in the fridge. They're not glamorous. There probably isn't an influencer standing beside a Lamborghini screaming, “You need to get into hard-boiled eggs before everybody else does!” But sometimes boring and prepared beats hungry and impulsive.
And if you want something sweet, a little dark chocolate with nuts or fruit can hit the spot. Notice I said some chocolate, not the entire emotional-support chocolate bar because Ethereum dropped while you were in the bathroom. Which brings me to something that I think is more important than the snacks: why are you eating? Are you actually hungry, or did the market just drop? Think about that. Investing can create emotional eating without us noticing. Green candles? Let's celebrate. Red candles? Oh shit, where are the donuts? Market going sideways for six hours? Now you're eating because you're bored. Suddenly your refrigerator has become your financial adviser.
Maybe before grabbing something, get up from the screen. Stretch your body. Look outside. Give your eyes something to stare at that isn't red or green. Drink some water. Then ask yourself, “Am I actually hungry?” And please drink the damn water. I love coffee. Coffee and I have a relationship. I even like putting a little dandelion in mine sometimes. But coffee cannot be expected to carry my entire hydration portfolio. Keep some water beside you, especially if you're sitting for a long period researching, investing, gaming, editing, working or having one of those internet conversations that somehow started at 10:00 in the morning and now the sun is going down.
Here's probably the easiest trick of all: prepare your snacks before you open the charts. Think about it. Instead of waiting until you're starving and then rummaging through the kitchen grabbing whatever is fastest, make a few things beforehand. Put some nuts in a container. Wash some fruit. Boil a few eggs. Have yogurt ready. Cut some vegetables. Fill your water bottle. You prepare your investment strategy, so why not prepare yourself? If you don't feel like preparing something try a can of sardines
Because here's the part I really want you to remember: you're the asset. We spend so much time watching the investment that we forget about the investor. If you're exhausted, dehydrated, hungry, stressed and running on caffeine, are you really in the best condition to make decisions about money—or anything else in your life? Maybe your investing setup doesn't need another chart, calculator, news feed, alert or person predicting where Bitcoin will be next Tuesday at 3:17 p.m. Maybe you need some water, something decent to eat, a little movement, a break or maybe even the radical financial strategy of closing the damn laptop for twenty minutes.
Because whether Bitcoin goes up, stocks go down or the market spends the entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing interesting, your body is still sitting there with you. Feed it something good. Prepare ahead. And please don't make a major financial decision simply because you're hungry, exhausted and somebody on the internet used seventeen rocket emojis. 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 See? You felt something already. That's why they use them.
And there's one more thing I want to say because this isn't really just about investing. It's about how easily we can become so focused on building something outside ourselves that we stop maintaining the person doing the building. We want the portfolio healthy. We want the bank account healthy. We want the investment healthy. We want the business healthy. What about you? You are sitting behind every one of those decisions.
So take care of the investor too. Eat something decent. Drink your water. Get out of the chair. Move your body. Give your eyes a break. Prepare some food ahead of time so hunger doesn't turn into whatever happens to be closest. And when you find yourself standing in front of the refrigerator because the market just did something stupid, stop for a second and ask: Am I feeding myself—or am I feeding the feeling? That's a different conversation, and maybe it's one worth having.
So here's today's little thought from my mind to yours: Feed yourself before you start eating yourself. Take care of your portfolio, absolutely, but remember—the most important asset sitting in front of that computer is still you.
One love—and Ase Ase for the ancestors. The cure is conversation. Self-love and self-care will get you there.
Follow @selflovedailychannel — Canada's SelfLove Daily Channel for more raw, real conversations about self-love, self-care, money, investing and everyday life. And check out CellPhellow.com for the $1.99 Digital Survival Series—short, affordable reads created from these real conversations. They're genuinely me. Real thoughts, real experiences and the strange places my mind goes when I notice something ordinary.
Take care of you.
— QueenB.Divine
THE “DON’T-WRECK-YOUR-STUFF” SURVIVAL TIP
And please—don't forget the damn napkin. If we're eating finger foods while working, scrolling, gaming or creating, let's not leave peanut butter fingerprints across the keyboard like evidence from a crime scene. Keep a napkin nearby, some hand sanitizer for when you need it, and put your snacks in a spill-proof container whenever possible. Clean hands, protected electronics and fewer crumbs hiding between the keys for the next six months. That's self-care too. Nothing spiritual here—just don't eat sardines with your fingers and immediately answer a text. Your phone has been through enough. need a place to rest your phone
Eat. Wipe. Sanitize when needed. Close the container. Carry on.
Sometimes surviving the day really is that simple.
This article is general self-care and educational commentary and is not individualized medical, nutritional or financial advice.
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