I love the fall season and all the things that are going to happen in the next couple of months. Â However as the holidays near, there can be situations that are just down right stressful and overwhelming. Â You’re handling family, tons of upcoming holiday events, work and how will you balance it all? Â Often times we push down these emotions and feelings or we get into a habit of eating out of stress.
Over the last year I have really tried to manage my eating habits and create a routine that revolves around mindful eating. Â I want to know exactly what I’m putting in my body. Â This is something we can control completely. Â Here are some helpful ways that I’ve learned to deal with stress eating over the last year.
10 ways to Handle Stress Eating
- Â Change up your routine and habits. Â The only way to make a difference in your eating is to change what you do on a daily basis. Â A lot of things we do are out of habit. Â This is often hard to do because we are creatures of habit and we get comfortable in our daily routines. Â But you will never change your weight if you don’t do something different.
- Don’t continue to buy the foods that are your “problem foods.” Â I think it is very hard to resist things that include cinnamon. Â Things like churros, cinnamon toast, and cereals with cinnamon included. Â So I just don’t buy these things. Â I know I can’t resist these so I don’t even bring them in the house.
- Plan out everything. Â When it comes to organization, I’m your girl. Â I am constantly making lists to keep myself ready for the week. Â Keeping your business on track, your personal goals, and your weight loss goals are all very similar. Â Write down what you want to accomplish and plan your attack to accomplish your goals.
- Keep yourself distracted. Â If you have a craving get involved in an activity that will distract you and keep your hands and mind busy. Â You can do a load of dishes or laundry. Â Go for a walk. Â Clean out a closet or something you enjoy doing.
- Plan something to look forward to. Â Sometimes we work harder if we have something we are working toward. Â Maybe you want to wear a bikini at the beginning of the summer. Maybe you want to wear a hot looking dress to your 20th high school reunion. Â Plan something to work toward to give you a reason to stay motivated.
- Deal with chaos in your life. If you have a ton of clutter in your home it really does affect other areas in your life. Â If you can clean up the mess and get organized you tend to feel super accomplished and motivated. Â You want to continue on with getting organized in other areas. Â This is a great time to take on a weight loss journey.
- Learn a new skill or get a hobby. Â Learning something new or practicing something you love can make you really happy. Â It also takes time out of your schedule that you’re not sitting around thinking about food.
- Write out a “to do list.” Â Putting everything in your calendar and then writing a schedule of your exercise, meal planning, and menus really helps when you are feeling like throwing in the towel.
- Exercise helps in so many ways. Â Exercise has become more to me than just a weight loss tool. Â I really crave my exercise time as “me time.” Â I need that to clear my head and feel good, calm and grounded for the day. Â I am a morning exerciser so I think it really sets the tone for the day.
- Remember why you started. Â Don’t give up!!! Â You will thank yourself several months from now when you handled that stressful moment and didn’t give in. Â Use a coping strategy and keep going instead of giving in. Â I have always liked that saying “Something you’ve craved for an hour or the body you’ve craved your whole life.”
I hope some of these tips were helpful and maybe as you are in the thick of the holiday season this post will be helpful in some way. Â Thanks for taking the time to stop by.