I hear it all the time from friends, family, and co-workers.
“I was doing great, and out of nowhere this, that, and the other thing happened, and all I wanted to do was eat junk food.”
Stress, sadness, and anger sure seem to get the best of our healthy intentions, don’t they? I feel like it just seems to be a common cause and effect. We have a crappy day, so we eat or drink to our hearts’ content. And then we use the excuse of, “it was a bad day. I deserved it.” But then tomorrow comes, and we’re totally regretting each and every last spoonful of ice cream. And another crappy day happens, which turns into another emotion-induced eat-fest that evening.
The cycle just goes on and on, doesn’t it? Sound familiar? If you’re not sure if you’re an emotional eater or if you fall into this category, I wrote a post about emotional eating that will help you determine if this is something you’re effected by.
But the thing is – if you’re reading this, you probably already know, don’t you? What you really want to know is how to get past it. How to work through the stress, sadness, anger, {insert other emotion that drives you to eat}, without eating all the ding-dongs and doritos in sight.
So I’m going to share the steps that have proved to be effective against using food as a way to feed your emotions:
1. Find your outlet. Whether it’s a person to talk to, a notebook to write your feelings on, or a punching bag to get it all out. Or maybe it’s all three. Locate it. Decide what it’s going to be. If it’s a person, be sure that it is a person you trust and can always confide in, but be sure that you are not abusing that person. Nothing can break a friendship or relationship quicker than always being a “negative nancy” with nothing positive to say. But knowing that you always have a person to talk to or a place to write all of your stresses and emotions out on is such a comforting feeling. So instead of going right to the ice cream when you’re stressed, get your feelings out in other ways. You’ll be surprised how great you will feel afterwards – especially if you choose to take it out on a punching bag! That’s my favorite.
2. Have a list of “go-to’s”. Sometimes just getting your feelings out isn’t enough. You’re still feeling anxious or upset, and often just automatically head to the fridge or pantry. Instead of that, have a list of things you can do. Easy, cheap, and accessible things like painting your nails (my favorite because who wants to mess up nails because of a junk food binge?), going for a walk, or playing with your dog. I’ve come up with at least 50 ideas in this post. Make a list that works for you and keep it near you at all times. I think it’s a great idea to keep in on the fridge. Maybe write something like, “Are you Eating out of Emotion?? Do these things instead!” at the top.
3. Practice stress-relieving exercises. When all else fails, go to the basics of stress-relief. Yoga. Bubble baths. Breathing techniques. Meditation. Walks out in nature. Things like this will naturally relieve stress. Here is a full run-down of natural ways to relieve your stress.
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