Do you ever use food to relax or calm your nerves because of too much stress?
For many people, food is an automatic response to stress. Feeling tense? Reach for a cookie. Many don’t realize they have this “automatic” programming. When you’re feeling stressed, food can have a calming effect. The trouble is that eating food as a response to stress does nothing to alleviate the real cause. “Comfort foods” might provide short-term relief, however, using food in this way can lead to an unhealthy habit of stress-driven overeating. If you are overweight, or if you feel guilty, mad at yourself or believe something’s wrong with you due to your eating in response to stress, the information below can help you decrease stress-driven overeating:
INFORMATION, TIPS AND STRATEGIES
1. Distinguish physical hunger from eating to relieve stress.
Many people are unaware that they eat food in response to stress and confuse the physical discomfort brought on by stress with the physical discomfort of needing food. Getting a handle on stress-driven overeating begins by recognizing the difference between true hunger and emotional eating. Physical hunger builds gradually, is felt just below the ribs, occurs hours after a meal, goes away when full, and eating leads to a feeling of satisfaction. Emotional hunger develops suddenly, is felt as a strong craving, is unrelated to the last time you ate, persists despite fullness, and eating leads to feelings of guilt. When you feel the urge to eat, pause to ask yourself, “Is it physical or is it emotional hunger?”
2. Increase your self-awareness.
Use a food diary to identify when and why you eat to manage stress. For at least one week, write down what and how much you eat, how you’re feeling after and before consumption, and how hungry you are. You may become aware of situations or feelings that trigger stress-driven overeating. For example, you may discover that you overeat on evenings at home after work as a way to reduce fatigue and relax. With this awareness you can then consider ways to take care of your emotional stress without involving food.
3. Understanding your brain…It’s not just about having willpower.
Withstanding the urge to eat certain unhealthy foods or withstanding the strong desire to overeat is not “just about having willpower.”Your brain is constantly trying to achieve balance. When you’re faced with too much stress, powerful signals go off within the brain to urge you to do something that will calm and relax you, to relieve the brain of the feeling of stress. Eating certain foods releases powerful chemicals in the brain that can provide a quick “high” or mood lift. Stress-driven eaters have subconsciously trained their brains to crave certain foods to provide relief from stress. It is difficult to ignore these strong messages consistently. However, with time and diligence, you can retrain your brain to keep positive habits, besides eating, to effectively satisfy your urges.
4. Engage in healthy activities that give your brain pleasure and stress relief.
You can retrain your brain to seek other sources of pleasure that increase the mood-lifting chemicals in the brain that create feelings of calm and relaxation. You might consider the following:
- Exercise — Exercise is proven to reduce stress, improve your mood, help control appetite, and improve sleep quality. All of these factors help reduce emotional eating. Even a ten-minute walk can make you feel less stressed and more calm.
- Meditate — Repeat a positive word, phrase or prayer. It gives you a break from negative thoughts, relieves stress, and promotes relaxation.
- Listen to relaxing music — Studies have shown that listening to relaxing music can decrease the production of a substance in the body called cortisol. Cortisol can lead to cravings for carbohydrates. Music can also relieve stress and increase relaxation.
5. Face stress-causing problems head-on.
Look for solutions to the problems at hand. Acknowledge and address feelings of depression, anxiety or anger. Do whatever you can to reduce stress. If you need help with stress-driven overeating, contact your Employee Assistance Program, The Lexington Group for CONFIDENTIAL counseling, referrals or information. We’re here to help.