10 Mantras to Unlock Food Obsessions When You’re Really Stressed
Sometimes, we all get stuck listening to that little nagging voice that leads to stress eating. Mantras to unlock food obsessions help with the voice that says:
- lure you into quick relief that stress eating brings
- distract you from what you need
- question your wise inner voice
- doubt your self-knowledge
- instill a lack of trust in yourself
The thoughts above often happen when stress or emotional eating is the only go-to stress management option. So, many of my clients believe they need more willpower and discipline. This is the exact thing that causes the most stress!
Willpower might help in the short term, but what’s stressing you out is that it’s not going away until you get to the heart of the matter and this is when mantras can help.
What if you change the conversation, you have with yourself, would it help you take care of yourself in a more supportive way?
Maybe it’s not willpower or forcing yourself to do something that you don’t want to do, but instead, it’s the power of choice that makes the difference. A mantra helps bring more self-compassion and accountability to create sustainable change.
How to Stop Stress Eating Right Now
If your goal is to transform how you deal with stress and stress eating, it’s great to have a positive, growth-oriented alternative to counteract your brain’s automatic response to calming stress with eating.
What’s great about this approach is that when you take a different action, your brain-based habits change, and you create a new “normal.” Even though it takes time and focused attention, you can change your brain anytime. And it usually happens much more quickly than most people think it will.
A simple mantra is one way to respond to your stressed-out brain that calms stress and gets you into a growth mindset. Mantras that unlock food obsessions can lead you away from stress eating so that you can make clear choices about your needs.
Mantras are old-fashioned coping skills that’ve been around for so long because they work!
It’s nearly impossible to separate thoughts, feelings, perceptions, potential future scenarios, etc. When stress eating or emotional eating enters the picture, the feelings are often mixed.
Finding your way out of a negative thought is easier when you have something you can do with it. And when you transform negative thoughts, they lead you to conscious eating. Being present in the moment, calming your stressed brain with compassion, and gaining clarity to make choices that matter is what makes the difference.
Using a mantra to help you shift your thoughts is one of the handiest, always-at-the-ready strategies to calm, soothe and refocus your brain where you want it to be.
The best mantras are those you can easily remember, so you’ll come back to a mantra when you need one without wasting time figuring it out when you’re already stressed.
Mantras that unlock food obsessions are concise and move you toward what you want.
Stress eating will never satisfy an unmet need.
Conscious eating is a dynamic, active process. Being a conscious eater means making choices in the present moment paying attention to your emotional state and your need for nourishment.
As a more natural-conscious eater, you don’t need to think about willpower! You’ll need fewer and fewer reminders to pay attention and be aware of your motivations to eat. It’s like eating when you were young; it was a natural process. You ate when you were hungry most of the time and stopped when you were full and this happened even if you were eating for pleasure. It wasn’t filled with the ulterior motive to calm stress.
And, even if your experience was different when you were young, you can always learn to be a conscious eater!
You may find that your preferences change when you get a chance to slow down and figure out what you need.
Many clients say they’ve been eating out of habit and not enjoying it.
You may even find that you use a mantra you like best, which comes back to you naturally as an affirmation of your commitment to yourself and your health.
Creating a supportive, nourishing relationship will naturally grow your skill set for good and challenging times.
Why use mantras to unlock food obsessions?
Conscious eating gives you an alternative to stress eating, emotional eating and dieting. A mantra is one tool to support you in building a kind and compassionate relationship with yourself.
As you become less stressed, your need for stress eating diminishes. You’ll find that you take a stand for yourself. Most of all, you become the leader in your life and nurture yourself with compassion and accountability.
Here are ten mantras that unlock food obsessions you can use as they are or as a starting point to create one of your own!
1. May I achieve my goals with love, kindness, and peace?
2. May my relationship with my body be grounded in compassion.
3. I am conscious and compassionate with food, one meal at a time.
4. May I experience nourishment in my life.
5. I listen to my mind, body, and heart and receive what I need in my life.
6. Change requires my time and attention; my reward is contentment.
7. May I be patient with myself and experience self-compassion.
8. I’m cultivating a peaceful relationship with my body.
9. When I move my body, I experience life and grow my awareness.
10. I nourish my mind, body and heart with a kind and loving heart.
Changing any habit takes a bit of time and effort. The mind never stops thinking, so when you give it something to do, you control where it goes. Conscious, mindful effort changes your life and leads you to your desired fulfilling lifestyle.
If you know someone who might benefit from this post, pass it along – share it through email or on social media!