Stress Eating: 5 Ways to Break the Habit
Most of us have experienced stress or emotional eating at some point in our lives, the overwhelming urge to eat or drink something to calm down when life suddenly becomes too much.
Stress eating on rare occasions probably won’t harm your health or lead to significant weight gain. However, when it becomes a regular way to cope, it can contribute to unwanted weight gain, chronic illness, and even more stress.
So, how do you prevent stress eating or break the habit of reaching for food when life gets rough?
The first step, and maybe even the hardest part, is recognizing that you are stress eating. Sometimes people stress eat and don’t even realize it until they’re finished eating and left wondering what just happened. Others may not recognize the pattern at all.
Once you recognize what’s happening, the next step is breaking the habit loop. While it’s not always possible to eliminate the source of your stress, you can work on changing how you respond to it. Over time, this can help reduce the automatic urge to reach for food when life feels overwhelming.
Below are some tips to help you avoid turning to food for comfort during stressful moments.
1 - Don’t buy or keep trigger foods in the house.
If you live alone, the solution may be as simple as not buying certain foods. This can be very difficult when living with others who bring trigger foods into the house, but it’s not impossible.
If you live with others, you may need to store trigger foods in a separate cabinet, shelf, or plastic container, or keep them away from where you store your food. The saying “out of sight, out of mind” does hold some truth, and it can work well for some people when it comes to snacking.
2 - Stop and set a timer.
If you’re experiencing cravings or feeling like you want to eat because you're overwhelmed, try setting a timer for 5-10 minutes. During that time, find an activity that helps shift your focus. You can try doing a quick chore, talking to someone, or scrolling through social media. After the time is up, reevaluate how you are feeling. Are you still hungry or experiencing cravings? Do you feel less stressed? Did the distraction help at all?
3 - Do a physical activity.
Physical activity is a great way to feel good in your body and reduce mental stress. Physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous. It can be something as simple as a short walk, riding a bike (stationary counts too), swimming or playing in the pool, dancing, shooting hoops, etc.
The goal is to get moving in a way you enjoy, boost feel-good endorphins, and feel better without relying on food.
4 - Grounding exercises.
You may have heard about grounding exercises before. They are often used during times of anxiety, stress, or overwhelm. There are numerous techniques you can try, but the goal is to calm your breathing, quiet racing thoughts, and help feel you feel more present and at ease in your body.
Because stress and overwhelm can create the urge to eat for comfort, grounding exercises can be a helpful way to reduce stress and interrupt the stress-eating cycle. Some exercises to try are rainbow grounding, 5-4-3-2-1, texture focus, and box breathing.
5 - Eat an apple.
When you feel the urge to stress eat, pause and ask yourself whether you are hungry enough to eat an apple (or another fruit). If you are, you may actually be hungry. But if you would say no to the fruit, that could be a sign that you're trying to soothe yourself with food.
If you aren’t physically hungry or the tips above don’t help, consider trying one of these instead:
Take a shower
Listen to music
Do a puzzle
Pet an animal
Meditation
Drink cold water or warm tea/coffee
Enjoy a hobby (write/journal, craft, color, etc.)
Watch a show or YouTube
Talk to someone
Create a Pinterest board of your interests or things you enjoy looking at
Affirmations
Read
Enjoy nature
Rest
The bottom line? Stress eating happens to almost everyone at some point. Rather than criticizing yourself, work on building awareness and practicing small habits that help you cope with stress in healthier ways. The goal isn’t to be perfect or to never eat for comfort again. Instead, become more aware of your habits and create small strategies to respond to stress in ways that support you.
Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.