A Comprehensive Guide To Avoiding Stress Eating

Life is always full of up-and-downs. From a painful breakup to being overwhelmed due to work, negative situations can affect us profoundly. To make matters worse, instead of coming to terms with our feelings, we turn to food.

Stress eating involves a vicious cycle of food. It begins with reaching for a meal or snack, often unhealthy, only to wake up to find you've overindulged and still feeling the same about your stressful situation.

Constantly reaching for food in stressful situations is a cause for concern. If you're currently going through a lot and having difficulty curbing this habit, you're in the right place. Use this guide to stop stress eating and successfully deal with the lows life throws your way.

Check-In With Yourself

It's time to do some soul searching. Every time you reach for a snack, first breathe and ask yourself what your body needs at the moment. Maybe the box of cookies you're reaching for might not seem as delicious as fresh fruit.

Taking a step back to ask yourself these questions is a great start. You might even start to notice that when snacking, your body might not require nourishment from sugary snacks but wholesome foods. Therefore, take time to check in, and your body will thank you.

Have A Healthy Meal Schedule

You may be in a position whereby working from home has interrupted many aspects of your life, including your mealtimes. Therefore, take this time to establish a proper mealtime schedule and stick to it.

When working from home, you could find your constant visits to the pantry are triggered not by genuine hunger but stress. Thus, come up with a schedule that includes at least two to three proper solid meals that will satisfy you throughout the day.

Remove Temptation

We love Khloe Kardashian for her impressive displays of yummy treats at home. However, you may find you are doing more harm than good by trying to do the same.

Studies have revealed that being visually exposed to high-calorie foods can lead to increased cravings and overeating. Therefore, it's best to keep all your tasty treats in your pantries or cupboards. If you're too tempted, remember it's about portion control.

Do One Thing At A Time

Begin the act of focusing on one thing. Try to avoid doing other activities in between your meal times as much as possible. From watching movies to reading a fantastic book, you might find your food is finished earlier than your activity. Thus, you may want to reach for more.

Therefore, make mealtimes strictly meal times and avoid other distractions. Besides, your food will be more enjoyable, and as a result, you'll discover flavors you might have otherwise missed. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Get Moving

It's time to put on your shoes and get moving. Sitting inactive in the house can render you bored or super-stressed. The result? Snacking more. Therefore, opting for a walk or a run is an excellent de-stressing activity.

It's always best to turn to exercise when you're feeling stressed due to the release of endorphins. It will put you at ease and works as a fantastic natural stress reliever. So the next time you have sugar cravings, it wouldn't hurt to go for a walk instead.

Find A Simple Distraction

Boredom mixed with stress is a cocktail for disaster. If cravings begin to creep into your mind when you have tons of free time, question that trip to the fridge or pantry because it's time to change your scenery.

Pick up a hobby at that moment to distract your mind. Not only is it a great stress reliever, but it also adds to your list of accomplishments for the day. We suggest trying to do something relaxing that would also require your full attention, such as painting your nails instead.

Be Gentle

We all give in to our cravings from time to time. However, it's about our mindset before and after we indulge. It's okay to feel like eating a box of cookies or pizza to make you feel better. However, it wouldn't do you any good to guilt yourself afterward.

Not only does it add to your stress, but it will also make you feel shame. Be gentle to yourself and acknowledge that was your proudest moment and be willing to learn from it. It wouldn't do you any good to blame yourself harshly for what you did under stress.