Not very mindful is she?
The scenario is all too familiar: after working all day you come home to a messy house, the kids are screaming, you fight with your husband, you reluctantly agree to one more favor your sister asks of you, and you STILL have to make dinner and get MORE work finished this evening. By the time the kids go to bed and you’ve finished up the last of your work, you are exhausted, stressed, and looking for comfort. FOOD is calling your name.
The first issue to understand is why you turn to food. Any of the following could reasons why you are looking at food for comfort:
Cortisol: When you are stressed, you release the stress hormone cortisol. While cortisol does serve beneficial functions, enabling the body to adapt to any stress or external changes you encounter, when cortisol levels are excessive due to chronic stress, it can result in cravings for sweet and salty foods. The end result can be excess weight gain.
Habit: The majority of people grew up with parents who helped “fix” their problems or celebrate their victories through food; dessert if you were good for the doctor, Mom preparing your favorite meal to celebrate successes, or going to get McDonalds if you were having a bad day. So it only makes sense that if you are feeling stressed, you turn to your favorite comfort foods as a way to cope with your feelings in adulthood as well!
Burying Emotions: There are many people who shy away from confrontation and use food to deal with their frustrations instead. For example, instead of fighting it out with your husband, you would rather forget the problem and have a huge piece of pie. Or if you are unhappy with your boss, heading through the drive thru after work is the perfect way (you feel) to deal with those emotions. Turning to foods that you associate with comfort takes the focus OFF your resentment or anger and temporarily makes you feel better (temporary being the key word).
Whatever your reason for using food to relieve stress, it is not a permanent solution to your problems. When you leave anger, sadness, or guilt unaddressed, those feelings just continue to compound. This is an extremely unhealthy pattern that can lead to serious health problems:
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So how can you deal with your stress without using food?
- Face Your Problems. When you confront what is bothering you or make changes in your life to find better satisfaction (find a new job, surround yourself with people who build you up, not bring you down, etc), you are working to lower the stressors in your life. By addressing your stresses upfront, the less you need food in order to cope.
- Learn How to Relax. As I mentioned above, cortisol is the hormone released in times of stress that can trigger cravings and lead to a slew of other health problems. Find something that helps you relax; yoga, listening to music, avoid over booking yourself and learn to just say NO, get in a positive frame of mind, or practice deep breathing!
- Find Healthier Ways to Cope with Stress: Food does not have to be your only way to cope with stress! Call a friend, read a book, go for a walk, exercise, write it out, or watch a funny movie. Find alternatives that bring joy to your life!
Tune in tomorrow when I address foods that can help improve your mood!
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QUESTION: Do you use food to cope with your emotions? IF not, how do you cope?
[...] ha! – so there won’t be any for me to stress-eat tomorrow. I should probably review this post on coping with stress eating by Erin over at The Healthy Apron next time I have the urge to stuff [...]
I can admit that I use food sometimes to cope with my emotions, but it always makes me feel worse after. Lately I’ve been trying to figure out what’s bothering me instead of eating.
[...] 3 Ways to Cope with Stress Eating [...]
such a great post! especialy for a college student! sometimes it gets so stressful with all of the tests building up and assignments due, but instead of stress eating i try to go out for a run and have me time to relax!
When I get stressed I can feel the urge to eat or munch mindlessly. Yet I do not do this as much as I eat from a good place. When I am relaxed and in good company I am much more likely to overdo it. Your tips are great, like the cortisol info. I think a lot of emotional eating is impulsive too. Often if clients can get past 15 minutes of an urge or craving then they can potentially avoid an episode or even binge.
I have the opposite problem! When I’m stressed, I completely lose my appetite. However, once I’m alleviated from that stress, my hunger roars back with a vengeance and I end up OVER eating because I’ve gone hours without food!
I usually de-stress by taking a hot bath, going on a long walk or cooking (so therapeutic for me!). And not to forget the mall…Chocolate cake has nothing on a pair of brand new shoes. ;-p
In all seriousness though, these are great tips! I’m really interested in the cortisol-emotional eating connection. Do you know why cortisol causes sugar and salt cravings?
Whenever my husband or I get stressed and we want to cope by eating junk food, we ask each other to take a walk. Being outside usually clears our heads, and when we return? No cravings for unhealthy food. Thanks for sharing, sweet woman. Have a great Friday!
I know so many people that stress eat. I definitely used to be one of them. I love your tips and this is yet another post I need to bookmark to reference and share later!
Very cool post. Stress is one of my issues for sure. I just had the worst year and had the highest levels of stress so that is why I am on my health journey again. I just seem to do to much and forget to eat sometimes. Thanks for sharing.
great tips!! i don’t really stress eat but eat out of loneliness or anxiety. yikes!
Great post! I used to teach stress management and this was often an issue with my students. Unfortunately, a lot of people follow that saying that “desserts is stressed spelled backwards” and cope with stress by eating. Luckily I’m pretty good with not stress eating. But I do have my moments.
Great advice! Yes, I come from food-pushers who used food to soothe and cope with all sorts of emotional changes. I eat mindlessly mostly when I am anxious, not when I am sad or happy, but when my nerves on on edge and I need a distraction. I’ve gotten much better at dealing with it in the past few years, but there’s always room for improvement. I really need to tame the stress beast within, aka the root of the problem.
I’m the same as Lauren, a sleepy eater! I notice that when I’m overtired I often mistake it for hunger…so I try to take a nap instead. It works most of the time
Great tips! I’m not much of a stress eater, but my family always ate to celebrate things. So when I’m excited about something, my instinct is to cook or bake something and share it with family.
I used to be a big stress eater, but it’s something I’ve really worked on and while I don’t have the habit totally kicked – sometimes nothing beats chocolate – I’ve made it through some very stressful times this year without resorting to the family sized bag of peanut butter M&Ms. Unfortunately, because a lot of my stress is due to my lack of time, I find it hard to find quick stress relievers (you have to admit that eating is quick). I rely on music to boost my mood, a stress management track every night before bed, cuddling with my kids, deep breathing, and making lists of what I need to do in order to feel like I’m semi in control. If the urge to stuff my face is too much, I at least turn to healthier options like popcorn and fruit before heading for the Lindt. It helps minimize the damage, at least.
Good topic, Erin!
I am a sleepy eater. If I feel tired or fatigued, I turn to food to pick me up. I am really trying to work on this. I turn to yoga and running to help burn off extra stress and prevent stress eating!
I’m actually the opposite: the more stressed I am the less I eat. But still, this post applies to that as well!
I used to stress eat constantly, it was so bad for my body. I was basically binging (no purge thankfully). I still “snack” heavily from time to time when I get upset or stressed but not nearly like I used to. This is such a great topic to talk about though and so many people go through it. Great post, as always
ya know, i very rarely stress eat, and i honestly don’t know why. like you mentioned, it’s a habit, and i guess i just never developed it. maybe it has to do with the desire to “treat” yourself when you’re stressed, and i just never saw chocolate as a treat: i saw it as part of life, ya know? it doesn’t have that “naughty” context to it. anyway, if i’m stressed i usually go for a run or a walk and listen to my iPod. being outside somehow allows me to put things into perspective.
awesome tips!!! i find that when i just think extra hard and STOP myself- then i realize its just stress eating!!
One of the biggest food challenges I face is stress eating. I have gotten better at handling it since I realized that I was doing it, but it definitely isn’t easy! One of the things I realized is that sometimes I am just tired and instead of night time snacking, I should go to bed earlier. Other than that it takes a lot of awareness and actively trying to reduce the stress.
Definitely have had to work on my emotional eating. It’s the first thing I want to do when I’m upset… blah!
Fortunately I haven’t had to deal with using food as a cope mechanism. Actually, I lose my appetite when stressed. Instead, I end up cleaning a ton or exercising. Which I guess isn’t so bad.
I used to eat emotionally and habitually all the time! It was a horrible cycle because I’d be feeling down about my weight and lack of energy, so I’d eat more. Now I try to separate emotions from food and I’d rather go for a sweaty run to ponder whatever I’m having a problem with!
i need a whole boatload of stress managment posts! hehe! I don’t stress eat much anymore but I do stress to the point of getting ill… and that is noooo bueno! thanks for these tips lovey!!!
Great topic! I wouldn’t say I use it to cope with my mood, but I’ll admit it can be comforting sometimes. One of my ongoing goals is mindful eating – the whole ‘know when to start and stop’, and listening to your body’s cues of hunger and satiety thing.
I totally used to stress eat. A lot.
And up until recently actually.
I started running instead of eating and that helps me to lose my previous stress weight!
I binge on all of the bad stuff when I’m stressed!! I tell myself that I “need” it b/c I’ve had a bad day, but I also feel guilt afterwards. I try to take the dogs out for a walk or do something away from the kitchen to boost my mood.
I’m totally a stress eater! I love the comfort food brings me, but hate the guilt afterwards. I usually will go cuddle with my cats or dog to relax — it certainly helps!