Tips to Stress Eating (+ Stress Busting Foods!)

Stress is one of the most common causes of overeating and weight gain.
Can you relate? Your day gets busy, life feels overwhelming, and you find yourself (without much thought) inhaling a sugary fatty "treat" because you think it's going to make you feel better - and it does for about a minute. Maybe you turn to junk food to "boost energy" or to help you deal with your feelings of anxiety, frustration, anger, or sadness. All the while you're gaining weight and feeling worse instead of better.
As much as you want to stop stress eating, it's hard to control because (ironically) it happens when you're stressed. It's not enough to just tell yourself not to do it. In fact, trying NOT to stress eat can actually intensify stress and make you want to eat more. It is possible however, to break the cycle of stress - stress eating - more stress with the right plan.
A plan to successfully control stress eating is not just about food. In fact, it doesn't start with food at all. A few non-food strategies and a bit of practice can make a huge difference. It takes persistence and creative ways to calm and successfully soothe yourself. The goal is to rewire your brain to identify certain non-eating behaviors as comforting, and to use those behaviors when things start to feel stressful. These three stress busting strategies can help you to calm down and take control.
STRESS BUSTING TIP 1: Be Aware and Take Care
Much of stress eating is so unconscious that it happens automatically and you may not even realize it. Before you can make changes in your behavior, you need to be aware of what you are doing. Keeping a journal can help. Write down where and when you stress eat. Was it during work or late at night when you are alone? Do you notice any patterns? Try to determine whether or not you were physically hungry. At first you may be journaling after the fact, but eventually you're awareness will increase and you will catch yourself before you stress eat. This is the goal; and then you can decide to NOT stress eat and do something else to cope.
STRESS BUSTING TIP 2: Stop - N - Swap
If you remove stress eating from your life, you have to replace it with something. Write down a concrete list of all the healthy, non-food related activities that give you a quick pick-me-up on a tough day. Here a few simple examples.

• Change your routine. Get a new mental and physical perspective -even if it's just for a few minutes. Leave the room. Sit in a different chair. If you have stress eating rituals like stopping in at Dunkin' Donuts on the drive home from work, shake things up and take a different route home. Avoid the familiar (and habit-filled) routine if you can.

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