All of us, if not most, have had moments where things weren’t going all that well, per se. Maybe we have a bunch of deadlines coming up, maybe there was something stressful going on with our friends or family. Whatever happened, all we know is that we’re stressed beyond belief.
Now, people have wildly different ways of dealing with stress. Some people do things like opt not to eat at all, which is incredibly harmful, while others do the complete opposite. They cope by stress-eating, also harmful in its own way.
But, we’re not here to tell you about how stress-eating is harmful. We think you already know the gist of this. What we’re here to do is give you some tried and true tips on avoiding the whole shebang!
Up your activity game
Depending on how busy your schedule is, you can try your hand at this little tip. See, when you’re free to dwell inside your own head, you’re going to think about what’s most worrying you and in turn, you’ll be a ball of stress with no one to squeeze.
Here’s a fun alternative. Try finding any concert, drum-learning session, zero-gravity zones — anything you can get your hand on, so you can take your mind off your stress and have some fun at the same time.
Try using stress-eating for your benefit
Okay, so in case the activities don’t take your mind off eating, you shouldn’t try to avoid it because that will cause a whole other set of problems. So, what do you do instead?
Well, you use the stress-eating to help rather than harm. Stock your fridge with fruits and vegetables and keep them near you at all times so when you go for a bite, you go for something healthier in comparison.
When in doubt, hydrate
One of the most important tips you have to follow in life in general is hydrating and it turns out hydrating can really help with stress eating.
All you have to do is up your water intake, while keeping helpings of healthy food going in every once in a while, and managing your stress-eating will be easier.
Measure your hunger before rushing to the kitchen
Arguably one of the most important tips ever, the first thing you should do when feeling the impulse to eat is to check whether or not you’re actually hungry.
If you’re not, you should try distracting yourself through all applicable measures until the craving passes.
We know how this sounds but try regular exercising
Okay, so at the risk of sounding like we’re telling you yoga solves everything, this next and final tip is just that you try some simple exercising.
It’s been proven that people who exercise are less likely to stress-eat, but there’s another perk. While exercising you’ll also release your pent-up stress energy, so that’s always a plus.
