How to Stop Stress Eating

You had a stressful day at work. Nothing went the way it was supposed to. You’re finally home when you see an email. You ignore it only to be met with another problem at home. You feel the tension rising and you instinctively reach for that bag of chips in the cabinet. Crunching away, you finally start to feel better after stress-eating to your way to the bottom of the bag.

Maybe you respond differently. You spent the day at the hospital with a loved one only to come home exhausted and frustrated from the day. You know you should eat something, but you just can’t muster it, so you skip dinner completely.

What is happening? How are both of these scenarios linked? It could be stress eating.

There is no shortage of stress, especially in recent years. People are finding all sorts of ways to cope. According to the American Psychological Association, twenty-seven percent of adults say they eat to manage stress while thirty percent of adults report skipping a meal due to stress.

With so many people struggling with their eating habits when they feel stressed, we must understand what it is and what we can do about it.

What is stress eating?

Upon first look, it may not make sense to pair skipping meals with overeating. But the two are connected more than you think. Stress eating, also referred to as emotional eating, is a pattern of eating as a coping mechanism to make you feel better, often in stressful situations. When people use food to suppress negative emotions such as sadness, loneliness, stress, or fatigue, it can be considered stress-eating.

How does skipping meals fit in?

When you experience stress, the body has a surge of adrenaline that triggers the fight-or-flight response. This hormonal response can result in decreased appetite, causing people to skip meals during stress. But that is only the short-term part of the picture.

Why do we stress eat?

The short answer is to feel better. But it’s not that simple. When stress lingers, becoming a long-term issue, the adrenal glands send out a different hormone: cortisol. Cortisol can increase your appetite, especially if you remain stressed or are repeatedly put in a stressful situation. During these times, people often gravitate toward rich, sugary foods that bring comfort.

These foods can also become a numbing strategy to help people decrease the negative feelings they have. Just like drugs, alcohol, sex, and television, food can trigger feel-good chemicals when consumed. This, however, does not solve any of the stressors in your life. It acts instead as a temporary solution to make you feel better in the moment.

Preventing stress eating

With a better understanding of what stress eating is, you may be wondering how to avoid falling into that pattern. If it’s something you know you struggle with, you also may be wondering if anything will help.

Understanding is a great starting place. Learning about what stress-eating is, why it can happen, and how it affects you is the beginning of learning strategies to prevent stress eating both now and in the future. There is no single quick fix. Instead, there are things you can do that will help you minimize your inclination to reach for food in stressful times and stop the cycle you may be experiencing.

Track your food and your mood.

Keeping a log of what you eat can be helpful, particularly if you incorporate other factors as well. Pay attention to when you eat, how hungry you are, and how you are feeling before, during, and after eating. This may sound like a lot, but it can be very telling in identifying when stress-eating is a problem.

Manage your stress.

Consider the most effective ways for you to manage your stress. Activities such as deep breathing, yoga, walking, rest, and journaling are all things you can try to help keep your stress level more manageable.

Ask an important question.

Whenever you eat, ask yourself if you are hungry. It is a simple question that gives you a moment to pause and think about why you’re reaching for food. Cravings are not hunger.

True hunger is a physiological need for your body to consume food. If you’re not sure of the answer, give your body fifteen minutes and do something else. If the feeling passed, you were likely experiencing a craving or emotional hunger.

Don’t seek perfection.

There will likely be times that you stress-eat. You are human. Occasional emotional or stress-eating is not a problem. When this happens think about why you ate, and what you could do differently next time, and then move on. Don’t make the cycle worse by beating yourself up.

Make good choices about what you eat.

Sometimes you will eat while you’re stressed, especially if you’re not sure if it’s hunger or stress driving you. When this happens, you can make good choices about what you eat.

If you feel the need for something crunchy try carrots. If you want salty, try some air-popped popcorn. If you’re looking for something sweet, try a piece of fruit. Making better choices helps you as you try to overcome stress-eating.

Identify your stressors.

Be honest about what causes your stress. Spend some time thinking about what you can do when faced with stressful situations.

Build your support system.

You don’t need to go through this alone. Think about family or friends that can help you as you overcome the pattern of stress-eating. Be honest with them about how you’re struggling and what they can do to help. Text a friend when you’re ready to reach for the chips or ask your kids to go for a walk when you want to eat a half-gallon of ice cream. Find people who can be on your team and help you.

Remove temptation.

Think about your favorite foods to reach for when you’re stressed. Now get rid of them. Don’t eat them. Simply throw them away and don’t buy more. Removing the things that tempt you will help you move forward.

Eat regularly.

Be intentional about eating well-rounded meals and snacks consistently throughout the day. If your body has what it needs, you are less likely to binge when stress hits.

Limit alcohol intake.

Drinking alcohol can work against you when you are trying to put an end to stress-eating patterns. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and reduces the likelihood to stay on track with your plan.

These are just a few of the things you can do to reduce the likelihood of turning to food as a coping mechanism for your feelings. Every person is different. Try these tips to see which ones help you the most. You can overcome the pattern of stress-eating in your life.

Is It Something More?

As you go through this you may be wondering if there is something more going on. Since your eating habits are an essential part of your well-being, you must pay attention to them. Some people struggle with stress-eating or skipping meals to the point that it becomes an eating disorder. If you think you may be experiencing this, talking to a mental health professional will help.

Final Thoughts

While we would all like to eliminate stress and negative emotions from our lives, it isn’t likely to happen. Instead, you can learn how to manage these things in ways that are productive and don’t result in a pattern of stress or emotional eating that is destructive to your mental and physical health.

You don’t need to go through this alone. The therapists at Frisco Christian Counseling are ready to help you understand what causes your stress-eating and implement strategies that can help. Call today to make an appointment with one of the therapists listed in our online counselor directory.