Mental Health – How To Control Cravings When You Are In Stress

Mental Health – How To Control Cravings When You Are In Stress

Stress eats you slowly from the inside. It starts as a small thought in your head and increases to having negative effects physically and emotionally. Many people find many coping mechanisms to deal with the anxiety that comes with stress. While some opt for good choices like exercise or meditation, some fall prey to negative things like addiction, overeating, procrastination, etc.

Again, some will come out of the bad habits with control and determination, and there are some who go deep and deep into the temptations eventually leading to very dangerous situations. One of the bad temptations that one can get easily habituated is stress eating or overeating.

Today, we will discuss stress and how you can control it with easy effective tips:

• Understand why you are overeating

You will begin to solve the problem only when you know where and when it has started. Before you address the remedies for overeating, first understand why you are doing it. Is it because of stress or boredom? Or is it your way to deal with anxiety? Getting to know the root cause of overeating will help you cope with it in the right way.

Before you put your hand in junk food, understand whether you are really feeling hungry or want to simply munch it. It’s also easier said than done to practice healthy habits to control overeating. If needed, you can get professional help to curb the temptation.

• Remove foods out of sight

When you are overeating, it’s often because all the ready-to-eat food is put in plain sight. Whether they are on the table, drawer, etc., you have easy access to them. So, try to put away the food and snacks out of your sight. You can prevent frequent snacking and overeating when you are not hungry.

Having them in the visibility of your eye sends a signal to your brain to eat when you are under stress. So, it’s best to remove all the unhealthy snacks out of your sight or out of your home, if possible.

Remember it’s not unhealthy to eat sugary or salty snacks once in a while, however, if you are doing it frequently, then it’s a problem you have to address.

• Prepare a healthy meal schedule

How many times do you eat per day? Do you prepare meals with healthy choices or unhealthy foods? Try to jot down your meal plan one day ahead so that you are prepping and cooking in a healthy way. Have a regular eating pattern like three main meals with two snack options, and try to cook them all at your home. Plan your meals every three hours and make sure that there is enough gap between the meals so that you are not overeating every hour.

If needed, get help from your family to prepare the meal timings for you and strictly follow them until you become consistent in your eating habits.

• Don’t be overly restrictive

Being too hard on yourself will only lead to negative consequences. When you are dealing with overeating, try to break down each habit at a time. If you are snacking regularly, deal with it first before you go on to prepare healthy meals throughout the day. It’s one of the great practices of the pillars of holistic health where you deal with your emotional brain in a healthy way. Don’t be overly restrictive as it can lead to constant hunger which leads to binge eating when you feel out of it.

• If possible, prep your meals

With the COVID-19 effect, everyone is now working from home, which means most people are staying at home throughout the day. So, if you have time, you have to start with prepping at least one meal per day. As breakfast is the primary meal, start with prepping your breakfast with healthy choices and ingredients. You can get into a habit of preparing your own meals by bringing out your inner chef. To facilitate this, there are many quick-to-prepare recipes with fewer ingredients that make a healthy meal choice. Look into them and prepare your meals so that you are conscious of what you are eating.

• Don’t ignore drinking water and hydration

Make sure to drink enough water even though it has now become one of the over-used statements. Being hydrated is important so that you have enough energy to prep your meals and eat them in peace. Keep a count of the glasses of water you are drinking and hydrate yourself with healthy and homemade juice options like orange, lemon, etc.

• Do light exercises daily

Finally, move your body and don’t let in sit or stand too long. Make it a routine to practice exercise daily, even if it’s as simple as walking. Walk for 10 minutes in nature or listen to your favourite music or podcast and get your mind off the constant hunger that you feel. Stretch your limbs and jog for a minute to not only feel good about yourself but also to curb overeating habits.

Eat well, live well

Dealing with overeating doesn’t happen in a single night. You need to constantly practice a healthy lifestyle to become a conscious eater. If possible, get help from a naturopath to know understand how you can do it without any medication (Learn here what a naturopath can do). Deal with your stress eating and start to live well because all we have is only a single life to take care of ourselves.

Featured photo by Artem Labunsky on Unsplash