Sure you have heard of the term stress Eating, but have you taken a moment to ponder carefully what that is or to even consider if maybe that’s mostly what you’ve been doing and are used to? Maybe not! Anyway, so you know how when you feel overwhelmed with worry, work, or just life you start to seek instant ways to make it better and make all that worry and anxiety go away? Turns out for a lot of people, the quickest and seemingly unharmful way to reach that juncture would be to munch on something, anything!
what this translates to is well, people just eating any and everything to feel better and while it may seem like it works, the truth is it probably just does a lot more harm than good. As the name implies, stress eating is mainly caused by STRESS meaning that it is an emotional reaction to the stress or worry that we feel. This is why it can often be referred to as emotional eating as well, the thing however is that it is not always with good consequences as is any decision made solely out of emotions. There must always be a balance between your mental, emotional and physical health.
The following are some reasons that can be causing you to stress eat;
- Stress
- You have an anxiety disorder
- You have an unhealthy attachment to food
- Eating feels like a reward system
- Boredom
- High cortisol levels
- Overactive cravings
- Pregnancy
What Can Be Done to Reduce Your Stress Eating Habits
Identify Your Triggers If you must win the battle against stress eating, you must first identify what causes it by knowing exactly what types of situations trigger you, this can be different for diverse people and so it can be anything really and it doesn’t matter, just identify it and you’re on the right track to redemption.
▪ Practice Mindful Eating can best be described as the direct opposite of stress eating. Unlike stress eating which is mindless eating or eating without a purpose, this form of eating requires you to be intentional about what you feed your body when to feed it, and in what progression. This not only helps you stop stress eating but also helps you have a better relationship with food, and increases your food metabolism and digestion.
▪ Learn To Differentiate Between Actual Hunger And The Need To Eat Just Because So the next time you feel like eating, take a quick pause and ask yourself some questions about what you want to eat but more importantly why it is important to have that in that exact moment, this will help keep you in check as you can also tell if you have just been triggered and are just repeating a pattern. Are you physically hungry or emotionally spent?
▪ Seek For Better Distractions That Do Not Involve Snacking Or Munching On Any Edible. Yes, you have been triggered but that is not the end of the world and you can certainly do better. You don’t always have to run to food because guess what remains a constant even after you must have eaten and stuffed your belly, you guessed right, The Problem! It doesn’t go away, so how about you try facing the problem head-on and making peace with the situation, if that doesn’t work, try talking to someone who cares to listen; you can also try other distractions such as watching your favorite shows or listening to your favorite kind of music.
Other than packing on excessive weight, slowing down your metabolism rate, and endangering your health, stress eating does nothing for you. Eat Right and Eat Healthy!