The ability to manage negative emotions in stressful situations can help you navigate life better to make it a more positive experience.
Emotional eating is a coping mechanism that often provides a false sense of comfort in stressful situations.
People from different social classes have at some point in their lives, succumbed to mindless eating as an emotional response to sadness, illness, grief, rejection, heartbreak, or fatigue.
Most individuals do not realize that they are doing it until after the fact, making it extremely important that we learn how to manage our emotions in stressful situations.
Here are 6 Strategies to Overcome Emotional Eating in Stressful Situations:
1. Get a handle on your emotions
Losing control of your emotions is like being swept away by a turbulent storm that tosses you around mercilessly. Stop, take a deep breath, and refocus your mind on positive things that make you smile. Eating in that very moment should be the last thing on your mind!
2. Think of the consequences of your actions
Think of the best-case scenario in a challenging situation. It is either going to help you grow or teach you life lessons that will transform your life. Conveniently pulling into a McDonald’s drive-thru on your way home from a bone-breaking 12-hour shift will not get you any closer to your health goals.
3. Develop emotional intelligence
Know how to respond to tricky situations even before they happen. The more experience you have in life, the better you become at developing this skill.
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4. Identify your triggers
Everyone has that one pet-peeve that sends them over the edge! Stay calm and productive to defuse the situation. Eat once you feel better to avoid emotional eating.
5. Know your limits
Recognize when you have reached a turning point in a stressful situation and walk away with courage. Emotional eating is often one of the first signs of depression which can spiral into other addictive behaviors.
6. Set healthy boundaries
Do not call that one friend that will invite you out for drinks and a quick bite when you are having an emotional meltdown. This typically sets the stage for emotional eating in hopes to help you feel better about yourself and to cope with stress.
Conclusion
Emotional eating is a habit that is done subconsciously when experiencing stressful situations.
Therefore, being intentional and having the mindset to handle stress with effective strategies gives you an advantage to overcome emotional eating.