When you feel afraid or stressed, do you grab the nearest sweet treat, bag of chips, or glass of wine? You may wonder how to make a better choice instead of turning to emotional eating. Stress and fear are unexpected drivers of mindless and emotional eating.
Do you often eat when you’re not even hungry? Maybe you’re like Ron. When first came to me, he said that that after a series of meetings from his home office, he looks to food for a way to relieve stress. He walks by the refrigerator, opens it, and eats a bowl of pasta with sauce when he’s not even hungry. Then he asks himself, “Why did I eat that? I didn’t even want it.” He’s frustrated and helpless to stop eating from stress. If you’re like Ron, you eat mindlessly as a response to stress.
How to Release Stress, Fear and Emotional Eating
Let’s explore how to release fear and stress and make better choices.
Do you have a vision of why you want to lose weight and eat more healthfully? Maybe you want to lose weight so you can play with your kids instead of sitting on the sidelines. Let that vision be your guide. Choose these steps to let go of fear and stress and stop emotional eating in its tracks.
How can you release fear and stress instead of feeling frustrated and overwhelmed? I’ve created a simple tool to release fear and stress that drive emotional eating and other responses to stress.
Steps to Letting go of Fear and Stress
- Separate What is True from What is False
Sort out what is true from what is false? Example: You tell yourself, “I want to be a good mentor for my family by eating healthy.” Yet there is a part of you that tells you that what you want is impossible: “You haven’t succeeded before so what makes you think you can succeed now?”
- Choose what is true instead of what is false
Choose what is true for you. Example: “I value my children and it is important for me to show them a healthier way to eat.” What will you do instead of giving up and believing what is false? Example: ”I will keep a bowl of fruits and vegetables visible and handy so it’s easier to choose a healthy snack.”
- Take Action to Stop Emotional Eating
Take action to set yourself free:
Decide what you will do to succeed. Example: I will take time to plan what to eat for the week, make a shopping list, and prepare foods ahead of time so it will just take a few minutes to prepare them before serving.
You can reduce your experience of stress and create healthier habits by separating and choosing what’s true from what’s false and taking action to make better choices.
Request your copy of Freeing Yourself From Fear and Doubt tool that you can use to break free of fear and stress that lead to emotional eating and unhealthy eating habits. Send an email to me to request this free tool that I use myself at: kay@sweetlifewellness.com.
- Click here to watch the Latest Sweet Life Wellness Podcast Episode on How to Enjoy Mindful Eating.
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To your Joy and Health,
Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Speaker, Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, Healthy Eating Coach