3 Strategies to Combat Stress Eating
Here’s the deal. It’s called stress eating for a reason!
Over 60% of my clients tell me they struggle with cravings or emotional eating. In fact, I am sure as you read this you can think of a few times in the last year where you indulged more than you should have or even wanted to. When you look back and reflect, the important question is WHY!? Why did those instances occur?
For some women, stress, or emotional, eating doesn’t happen often, but when it does it's quite extreme from the normal day-to-day. It can be easily recognized as a more out-of-character action that doesn’t spiral into a habit.
For other women, emotional eating is a weekly coping mechanism that is not often recognized for what it is. It's a response to life happening around them.
Bad day at work - grab a glass of wine or 2 before dinner.
Got in a fight with a friend or spouse - go for the burger, fries, and shake instead of that burger bowl you planned to enjoy.
Kids are driving you crazy - grab some chocolate repeatedly throughout the day.
Running late for a meeting - grab fast food on your way back to the office.
And the list goes on.
I am a recovering emotional eater. What does that mean? I now recognize the habits I got into and the triggers that propel me to even begin. So it's much easier for me to make a smarter choice at the moment. Bonus: these 3 strategies help me to stick with my goals, help me feel human in my full spectrum of emotions, and understand my triggers more easily.
And you can too!
Strategy 1: Go ahead and stress eat!
You didn’t read that incorrectly. Go ahead and do the thing. Have those extra cookies, or drive to the store and get some ice cream (even though it's 11 pm and you’re ready for bed).
Here’s the thing with stress eating. If we take away the guilt and allow ourselves to actually actively give in, it’s not as tempting. If you still follow through, which is likely to happen, you are more aware of how that food makes you feel. Does it ACTUALLY comfort you? Does it ACTUALLY make the situation better?
Most likely, the answer is no. But now you have a direct correlation, you’re very aware that happened and hopefully less likely to do it again - at least in the near future.
Strategy 2: Take Inventory
So let’s go back to the previous example. You went out late at night to grab a pint of ice cream and you devoured it all!
The next morning take inventory.
How did you feel after the ice cream was finished? (stuffed? sick to your stomach? Was the issue resolved?, etc)
What thoughts came to mind when you were eating the ice cream?
What thoughts came to mind while you were driving to get the ice cream?
What thoughts came to mind before you decided to buy the ice cream?
What were you doing immediately before you decided to give in to the craving or trigger? (in other words, what was the final trigger)
What were you doing throughout the day that might have led up to the event?
These questions can be answered pretty quickly and sometimes you can even take this inventory before you give in to the stress craving (more on that in strategy 3).
But once you recognize what is triggering the emotional eating, you’re more likely to find an easy solution.
(see my posts on 5-Minute actions and Reframing)
Strategy 3: Create a “ZEN” list
As silly as it sounds, creating a list of healthy options to help you refocus your energy will often help you choose another route.
So before you dig in, you could:
Take 3 deep box breaths
Drink 8 ounces of water
Do 20 squats
Call a friend or family member
Send an encouraging text to someone else
Cuddle a pet
Walk around the house barefoot (if you can) to help ground you
Scream into a pillow
Complete a 1-3 minute stream of consciousness journey entry. Let whatever is going on in your mind, come out. No filters.
And the list goes on. Have this list of options inside your fridge and cabinets if you need. Type it up in your notes and pin it for easy reference. Just choose to do one of these actions before you give in to that stress eating.
Maybe a glass of wine or 1 piece of dark chocolate will still help you feel better in the moment. At least you made a decision instead of reacting to a trigger. That is how you combat stress eating and how you stay on track with your goals.
Life is going to happen regardless - it's how you respond to it that matters.
