Think the big tub of ice-cream after a bad break-up, the big tub of ice-cream after a crap day at work, the, eh-hem, big tub of ice-cream after an argument with your mum.
It’s completely natural that when you’re highly stressed you’ll reach for food.
Food distracts us and makes us feel better fast. Eating is an automatic, unconscious reponse to tension and anxiety.
But we can learn how to become more mindful in these stressful moments and break the pattern of automatic reactivity, the reaching for the, you got it, big tub of ice-cream.
Here’s how to avoid over-eating for the sake of it when you’re stressed out…
Acknowledge That You Are Stressed
Learn to know your stress signals. These might include headaches, rapid breathing or munching when you’re not hungry. Acknowledge the fact that you are in need of comfort.
Enjoy What You Eat
If you’re just stuffing yourself with food, you’re not enjoying its tastes, textures, and smells, which is how we derive comfort from food in the first place. Do take out the ice-cream, but savour each bite. You’ll need fewer bits and you’ll still get the comfort you seek.
Think Of Past Experiences
Think of the time you ate all those doughnuts on your last stress-induced binge. The guilt you felt afterwards probably only added to your stress. This time, take control of the portions. Pick up one doughnut to munch on at the bakery, not the whole packet. If they’re not there, you can’t eat them.
Pause
As you open the second tin of Pringles, just pause. Ask yourself do you really want to eat this and will it help the situation. Taking this single moment to reflect can help interrupt the automatic urge to start chomping.
Don’t Ignore Your Cravings
Denying the craving will only strengthen your desire to indulge. Acknowledge the craving and make the choice. Do you want one biscuit now, or are you going to wait until the urge is so over-powering you’ll have munched into the lot of them before you can think twice? Knowing that you have choices puts you back in charge, not the craving.
How Hungry Are You?
Sometimes we find it hard to distinguish between physical hunger and emotionally-driven cravings. Rate your physical hunger on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being not hungry at all and 10 being famished. If it’s a 0, 1, or 2, reconsider that pantry raid. If it’s a 9 or 10, eat something healthy first: If you’re really, really hungry, you’re more vulnerable to overeating so start with something healthy instead.
