Blog

6 calorie-free stress relievers to avoid emotional eating

Last week we went through how to determine if you are experiencing emotional hunger or physical hunger. Now that you’re set with those tools, let’s look at how to deal with those emotions instead of turning to food and falling into an emotional eating trap.

1) Exercise

Exercise/work-out: I know, I know, gyms are closed right now. But you can still find creative ways to work out at home. Even if you don’t have any dumbbells or bands you can do body weight exercises and use household items to lift as well. Need some ideas? Let us know! Yoga is also a great way to move your body without needing any equipment.

2) Take a walk

Take a walk: Even if your local park is closed, you can still take a walk around the block or even around your house if you need to. Just get your body moving and your mind away from the food focus. 

3) Talk to a friend

Talk to a friend/family member: Luckily, right now everyone is eager to communicate with the outside world via Zoom or just the phone, so I’m sure you could get someone to talk to you to get your mind off of that food! If you have a habit of emotional eating at night, try and schedule calls then when you know you are most vulnerable.

4) Journal or doodle

Journal: I know not everyone loves the idea of writing their thoughts down on paper, but just try it once! It can really help you get in touch with your actual thoughts and feelings. Or, if you prefer, you don’t even need to write about your feelings. Just write about your day, write a story, etc. You can even just doodle or color in a coloring book. Just get those thoughts or creative juices flowing on paper so you’re not thinking about food.

5) Drink some tea

Drink some tea: Sometimes you just need to answer that oral fixation. That’s why tea, coffee, chewing gum, etc can be great ways to take your mind off of actual food. To be completely honest, we go through A LOT of gum in The Angry Nutrition household 😛

6) Listen to some music

Listen to your favorite music: It can be as simple as that! Put on your favorite jam, blare it loudly, start singing along and dancing like a fool and you’ll forget about food in no time. 

Those are just a few of the numerous things you can do to get your mind off of food. The point is to just take food out of the center of your attention. Realize that food will not satisfy any of those emotions you may be having in the long run. So don’t sabotage your goals and start eating when you’re not physically hungry! If you have any more questions, feel free as always to reach out.