Stopping stress eating is a huge energy drain when you overthink it.
Stress eating takes your focus away from more productive activities, like dealing head-on with the emotions that hold you back.
Think about how much time and energy you expend thinking about uncomfortable feelings, wanting them to go away. Telling yourself that you can quit the obsessive thoughts about food and then eating food you wish you hadn’t anyway fuels the frustration. It’s the cycle that leads to overthinking when you so desperately want to stop stress eating.
How much time and energy have you wasted on stress eating and overthinking, rather than doing the big things in life you want to do?
How much money have you spent on food that doesn’t fuel your mind, body, or heart?
Keep reading because there is a way to support yourself as you break out of this cycle.
The challenge is to have an effective plan to help you move through the emotional rough spot.
Stress eating can feel abstract, like there’s nothing to grab ahold of and you don’t know what steps to take. With a clear plan you can identify the skills you need and develop them so you can use your emotions as a guide rather than a roadblock.
One of the great benefits of Conscious Eating is that the more you practice, the less thought is needed. It becomes a natural way of being as you navigate your way through your day.
Conscious Eating becomes a life skill that you easily use all the time without overthinking!
You probably have read about how you ensure your body is gets what it needs to support you physically. Here are a few short reminders so that you have a good nutritional basis before you start:
Eat breakfast – break the fast
Research has shown that breaking the fast by eating soon after waking has benefits throughout the day. Eating breakfast helps prevent emotional, impulsive, and binge eating, even many hours later, by keeping your energy and blood sugar levels stable.
Get enough protein
Research has shown that eating a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fat keeps you stable throughout the day—blood sugar, energy level, clarity of thought, etc. Eating a well-rounded meal also helps you feel satisfied with your meal, and with satisfaction, the drive for something more is no longer nagging. You can move on to the next thing in life.
Get enough rest
Research has shown the link between sleep and the ability of your body to run smoothly. When you don’t sleep enough, you are much more susceptible to going for the quick energy of simple carbohydrate foods to get the energy you lack from being tired. This can start a vicious cycle of feeling guilty about the foods you eat, creating a cascade of feelings that can lead to more emotional eating.
Now, things are about to get more interesting!
Conscious Eating is where you develop the foundation and mindset to keep you feeling well for years. The most significant benefit is that you don’t need to consider the emotional consequences of your eating.
Food is food, and the emotional pull dissipates. You are free to eat what you like, secure in the knowledge that you will nurture yourself in ways you know are right for you.
1. Know that the food will wait for you.
Sometimes, I hear people say that they feel controlled by food. Food somehow has you in its grip and charms you with its promise of a satisfying experience.
But really, this can’t be true. Overwhelming, unclear, unpleasant, feelings lead to an overwhelming desire for food to take away the discomfort. It’s the the unclear emotional experience that leads to a need for calming with food.
Conscious Eating shifts the power dynamic from stress eating to your innate sense of nurturing.
You can develop a mindful relationship with food. Following the physical guidelines above is one way to ensure you don’t get over-hungry.
As you begin to practice patience and ask yourself what you need. It could be food or it might be a different way of nurturing yourself. When you step back, wait a moment, and give yourself time to figure out what you need, you can make decisions that support your relationship.
2. Know that you can eat whatever you want.
“Unconscious dieting usually occurs in the form of meticulous eating habits.”
― Evelyn Tribole
Many people have ideas about good food vs. bad food. Often, this leads to stress, such as cutting out whole food groups, eating by color, restricting certain foods to only on holidays, and overthinking what to eat.
While you need to pay attention to your unique sensitivities, you can also have a heart-to-heart with yourself. Honestly, answer the question, “Am I cutting out certain foods because I have a negative opinion about it or because it doesn’t sit well with my body?”
Most of the time, your view of the food gives it more power than it really has. When all foods have the same moral value, they lose their power.
The result is that you can make food decisions that support you in mind, body, and heart.
3. Know that when you’re conscious, kind, and loving toward yourself, you will treat yourself well.
“As soon as you notice you’re suffering, you automatically embrace yourself with compassion.”
― Kristin Neff
It’s very difficult to be harsh and judgmental about your relationship with food when you shift to Conscious Eating and loving-kindness.
It’s also challenging to do the opposite of stress eating and overthinking – to be unconscious and give yourself a “free pass” while practicing Conscious Eating. Genuine, authentic, loving kindness also makes it impossible to deceive yourself.
As you grow in your relationship with yourself, your foundation becomes more muscular.
You can choose any food and eat those you enjoy with pleasure. You can also choose foods that provide the nutrition you need because that’s what your body needs, even if they aren’t the most exciting foods. Both types of eating are necessary.
You have more truly nurturing goodwill for yourself from which to live. It’s like a well of goodness you can draw from any time.
4. Trust your body instead of overthinking and stress eating.
Conscious eating allows you to be quiet, listen, and trust that when you give yourself the opportunity, you can make choices you feel good about.
You can trust your relationship with yourself.
- when you’re tired, you will rest;
- if you’re energized, you will move;
- you’re missing connection, you will re-connect;
- when you’re hungry, you will eat.
Paying attention is part of how you live, no longer denying your body and pushing through. Actual toughness is knowing when to push and when not to.
5. You can live following the ebb and flow of life with awareness and grace.
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
― Jon Kabat-Zinn
Conscious Eating isn’t about a perfect connection with yourself. There will be times when you are very busy, and it’s a mad dash to grab something to eat just because it’s there and you feel stressed.
Sometimes, you will be sad, and life serves up a big bowl of lemons, and you feel like stress eating and start to overthink your options.
These are the times when being more conscious and more present in your relationship with yourself is challenging. It’s natural to want to check out and get through. That’s Okay.
Becoming a Conscious Eater gives you the foundation that you will not abandon yourself when tough times happen. You have built a relationship with yourself to support yourself, knowing that tomorrow is a new day.
Begin your journey to becoming a Conscious Eater by letting go of rigid thinking and rules that don’t make sense. The relief you’ll experience is worth the effort.