Simple, realistic ways to reset and feel like yourself again

11 June 20263 min read

We have all had those days. A few too many sweet treats, followed by feeling sluggish, bloated or simply not quite like ourselves. While it is easy to fall into guilt afterwards, sugar binges are incredibly common and are often linked to stress, exhaustion or emotions rather than a lack of willpower.

The good news is that one indulgent day does not undo your health. With a few simple, practical steps, you can help your body reset and move forward feeling more balanced again.

What happens after a sugar binge?

When we consume a large amount of sugar, blood glucose levels rise quickly. In response, the body releases insulin to help regulate the surge, which can then lead to a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, often referred to as the “crash”.

This is why many people feel tired, irritable, foggy or crave even more sugar shortly afterwards. It can also trigger a cycle of overeating followed by restriction, which tends to make things worse rather than better.

Understanding this response is important. Your body is not failing you. It is simply reacting to rapid fluctuations.

Why sugar binges happen

Sugar binges are rarely just about food. Common triggers can include:

Stress or emotional overwhelm
Lack of sleep
Restrictive dieting or skipping meals
Habit, convenience or comfort eating

Recognising your own triggers can make it easier to respond differently next time.

How to reset without punishing yourself

Eat balanced meals
Skipping meals after overeating often backfires. Instead, focus on balanced meals that include protein, fibre and healthy fats, such as eggs, vegetables, whole grains, yoghurt or lean meats. This helps stabilise blood sugar levels and reduce cravings.

Hydrate well
Water supports digestion, helps reduce bloating and can improve energy levels. Aim for around two litres a day, particularly if you have been eating heavily or consuming extra salt and sugar.

Move your body gently
You do not need an intense workout to “make up” for anything. A walk, light stretch or swim can help your body regulate glucose levels and improve how you feel physically and mentally.

Prioritise sleep
Poor sleep increases hunger hormones and sugar cravings. Giving your body proper rest can help regulate appetite and energy more effectively.

Avoid extreme restriction
Cutting out all treats or drastically reducing calories often leads to stronger cravings and another binge later on. A balanced, flexible approach is far more sustainable.

Choose smarter sweet options
If cravings hit, try options that are more balanced, such as fruit with nut butter, Greek yoghurt with berries or a small piece of dark chocolate.

Manage stress levels
Stress is one of the biggest drivers of sugar cravings. Gentle habits like walking, journaling, deep breathing or yoga can help regulate the nervous system and reduce emotional eating.

Let go of the guilt

It is normal to feel physically and emotionally off after overeating, but guilt rarely helps recovery. One day does not define your health or your habits.

Treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer a friend. Long-term wellbeing is built through consistency, not perfection.

Preventing future binges

Small habits often make the biggest difference over time:

Eat regularly and avoid skipping meals
Keep nourishing snacks on hand
Be mindful of hidden sugars
Identify emotional triggers rather than ignoring them

Most importantly, stay curious rather than critical about your habits. Every experience offers insight into what your body may actually need.

You are not irreplacable, you are resilient!

You have two kidneys. You only need one. Long before anyone coined a phrase for it, your body quietly modelled the principle we now call resilience at work — packed with spares, one organ at a time, built not to be precious but to last. Evolution looked at the long odds of staying alive and decided that redundancy, a quiet backup sitting ready and unbothered, was the kindest thing it could give you. The Myth of the Irreplaceable Person Your ego disagrees. It has its own theory, and it recites it at 2am: that you’re the one who truly understands the client, the unrepeatable knot of skill the whole thing depends on. It’s a comforting story. The body has spent years gently disagreeing. We’ve always believed this at scale. Every monarchy that claimed divine right discovered, eventually, that divinity has a short attention span. When Steve Jobs died in 2011, the consensus was that Apple had lost the one mind it could never replace; under Tim Cook it went on to become the most valuable company in the world. [SUGGESTED LINK: Tim Cook’s leadership and Apple’s growth post-Jobs] The gap between valuable and irreplaceable is the gap between a fact and a fairy tale. Work culture prefers the fairy tale. It calls you a “key person” and means it as a compliment — when underneath sits a system that falls over the moment one human leaves. Engineering has a blunter name for that. It isn’t talent; it’s a single point of failure. A design flaw. [SUGGESTED LINK: single point of failure in organisational design] What Strong Systems Actually Look Like The body knows better, because it has no ego to defend. Two lungs, two kidneys, two brain hemispheres that cover for each other. A liver that grows back. An immune system that reroutes when a defence is breached. None of this is sentiment. Evolution doesn’t build irreplaceable parts; it builds systems that outlive the failure of any one of them. You are not the jewel in the crown of natural selection. You are a distributed backup system wrapped in skin and anxiety — and that, it turns out, is the good news. Here’s the part we flinch from, so I’ll just say it. Most of what you do — the emails, the meetings, the decisions — someone competent could learn in a few months. Not the intuition, the relationships, the context you carry in your bones. But the function? That’s a transferable skill wearing your name badge. AI didn’t make this true; it only made it loud. The printing press didn’t make the monk less skilled, only less necessary. We spend our lives confusing the two: defending how necessary we are, and missing what we’re for. [SUGGESTED LINK: AI and the future of work] Redundancy as a Design Principle, Not an Insult So before you spiral and refresh your LinkedIn, turn it over. Redundancy was never the insult you took it for. It’s the whole principle of resilience — why planes stay aloft, why your heart keeps beating when one pathway misfires. Strong systems aren’t the ones with an indispensable part; they’re the ones where no part is. When only one person understands the billing system, that isn’t a measure of their importance. It’s a hostage situation. Don’t be the load-bearing wall whose removal brings down the ceiling. Be part of the frame — holding things up precisely because it no longer all rests on you. And here’s the gift hidden in all of it: once you stop defending how hard you are to replace, you start to notice what genuinely can’t be. It was never the spreadsheet or the code. It’s the way you make a colleague feel human again after a brutal quarter; the meaning you pull out of chaos. None of it fits on a CV, because none of it is a component. It’s the connective tissue — not the parts, but what happens between them. What Genuinely Cannot Be Replaced “But doesn’t that mean we’re all worthless?” is the wrong question. It mistakes one axis for another. Any musician in the orchestra can be swapped and the note still sounds — but the ensemble, these people on this particular night, will never happen twice. You’re replaceable as a function and unrepeatable as a presence. You matter not because no one else could do your job, but because you’re the one doing it now, bringing the strange, specific thing only you bring. That’s not nothing. It’s just not what we were taught to call worth. We need this now, in an age of industrial-scale redundancy anxiety. AI writes the emails; an algorithm makes the trades, with no meltdowns and no lunch break. You are more functionally redundant than any generation before you — and the answer isn’t to deny it. It’s to stop hanging your whole identity on the function in the first place. You have two kidneys. You only need one. And you’ve spent your whole life not thinking about the spare — not resenting it, not feeling diminished by it, not lying awake afraid of it. You just lived, while the backup sat there quietly keeping you alive. Maybe it’s time to extend that same grace to the rest of you. The spare was never an accusation that you weren’t enough. It was the most honest kindness your body could manage: a margin, a second chance, the reason the whole fragile system keeps going. You are not irreplaceable. You are something better. You are resilient — and you were built that way on purpose. About the author Andrew Harmer Co-Founder & Software Architect, Get It Media Magazine Operations Software Engineering Andrew is co-founder of Get It Media, where he builds the software behind modern publishing — practical tools for creating, managing and distributing web content. He also writes for Get It Magazine on men's health and lifestyle. Website Email

By Andrew Harmer

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The women’s health crisis hiding in plain sight

When we think about women’s cancers, breast cancer is often the first that comes to mind. But there is another cancer affecting thousands of Australian women every year, and many people know surprisingly little about it. Blood cancer is now the second most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women, behind only breast cancer, and the leading cancer among girls and women under 30. Yet despite its prevalence, awareness remains relatively low. In 2024, more than 8,300 Australian women were diagnosed with blood cancer. Within the next decade, that number is expected to almost double. Last year alone, more than 2,500 women lost their lives to the disease. Unlike many other cancers, blood cancer cannot be prevented or detected through routine screening. It can affect anyone, at any stage of life. Treatment can be lengthy and intensive, sometimes requiring extended hospital stays or relocation to access specialist care. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can also affect fertility, adding another layer of emotional complexity for women who may still be planning families. The financial impact can be significant too. Journalist and television presenter Edwina Bartholomew knows that reality firsthand. After being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia last year, she has spent the past 12 months undergoing treatment while continuing to raise her young family and work. “The day I was diagnosed with blood cancer will stay with me forever,” she says. “When my doctor told me, I had no idea what to expect and what was ahead. But fortunately, my diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukaemia was early, and I have been extremely lucky.” Edwina says advances in medical research have transformed what her diagnosis means for her future. “Thanks to research, I am able to take a tablet that helps me to live a full and healthy life,” she says. “My results are also a testament to the importance of regular health check-ups.” Now serving as a National Ambassador for the Leukaemia Foundation, she hopes speaking openly about her experience will help raise awareness among other women. “I want women in Australia to know that this disease exists and it’s serious,” she says. “But if it touches your life, there is a community here to hold you up.” “You are not alone in this fight and organisations like the Leukaemia Foundation are here to help and support you and your loved ones every step of the way.” One of the challenges facing blood cancer is that symptoms can often be vague or mistaken for other conditions. Persistent fatigue, frequent infections, unexplained bruising, night sweats or ongoing fevers can all be warning signs worth discussing with a healthcare professional. For the Leukaemia Foundation, the message is simple: awareness matters. Blood cancer is already affecting thousands of Australian women, and its impact continues to grow. By understanding the signs, supporting research and ensuring women have access to the care and information they need, more lives can be changed and, ultimately, saved. For more information or support, visit the Leukaemia Foundation.

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When was the last time you checked in with your life?

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A more personalised approach to weight loss

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