How To Combat Stress Eating

How To Combat Stress Eating

Food is comforting and there is nothing wrong with that. Most of us rely on food to relieve stress and make us happy. On some days, we turn to food intentionally. On other times, we might find ourselves reaching for sweets or nibbling on chips even if we are not feeling hungry. Craving for specific foods after seeing food advertisements and because you have nothing else to do are some of the signs of emotional eating. 

During unsettling days, emotional eating has become a reality for many of us. If you tend to eat to make yourself better, then it could be a sign of stress. One time or another, people use food as a means to deal with their emotions, stress, and anxiety. There are also some other common triggers of stress eating rather than stress. Boredom, habit, and social influences are among them. 

Here are some ways TippyMart came up with to help you reduce stress eating:

Find the source of stress

The best way to prevent emotional or stress eating is to deal with the problem at hand and not use food as a scapegoat. Take a moment to assess and recognize the possible triggers that are present at the moment. Keeping a personal food diary and setting your own daily schedule can help maintain your food intake. This could also prevent you from mindlessly eating all throughout the day. 

Set boundaries and eating strategies

If you are working from home, set up a working area that is not too close to your kitchen. This is helpful since snacks that are a bigger temptation for binging. Instead of going for junk food, you may opt to prepare healthy snacks when you get hungry. You may also set up your kitchen with healthier treats like fruit bowls are in sight and easily accessible for you. These snacks will even help improve your work! 

Look for another environment 

If you were able to identify your source of stress eating, look for someone or go to a place that helps you remain calm. If your work environment is heavy, go for a walk alone or with a friend during lunch breaks. When you have work from home arrangements, you may set up a small area or go to your favorite spot in the house where you can take deep breaths. Having a community group or set of friends that understands you and where you can reach out and connect with every now and then could also be of great help.

Exercise 

Increase your endorphins by engaging in physical activities such as working out, doing yoga, cycling, swimming, and others. Not only is it a food stress buster, exercising could also help us be physically fit and at the same time it could brighten our mood. Using our excess energy in exercising instead of digging in a whole tub of ice cream is a good move. Now is also the time to be as active as possible at home since a lot of workout videos are available online. 

Laugh it off

Last and the most important of all is to not to be hard on yourself. When it comes to stress, laughter is still one of the best medicines. Find ways to lift your mood whether it is watching your favorite Netflix series, reading a good book, and talking with loved ones and friends.

We all respond to stress differently. Giving in to your cravings occasionally is fine. If you want a bar of chocolate, then it is alright. What’s important is taking active steps and finding new healthy habits to lessen stress eating. We do believe that small steps are still considered a progress.