If you are the sort of person who runs to the kitchen to find yourself some comfort food to wallow in whenever you are feeling stressed or overly emotional, then don’t feel alone, because you are definitely not the only one! You're probably not the only one hoping to learn how to conquer emotional eating either.
A huge percentage of us turn to binge eating when we are going through a particularly emotional time, but too much indulgence is never good for you, so follow these steps to help you figure out how to conquer emotional eating.
If it feels like the walls are closing in on you and all you can think about is a tub of ice cream, then eliminate that possibility by getting up and taking a walk in the great outdoors. Rather than heading for the fridge, head to the park and take a nice stroll in some scenic beauty. Your stress levels will go down and you won’t be anywhere near the kitchen. If that's not the best answer for how to conquer emotional eating, I don't know what is.
Take up a new hobby or find something that has the power to take your mind off of the food that you want to eat to make yourself feel better. This could be anything from knitting to joining a book club to finally organising your music library. Anything to distract yourself!
Build a support system of loved ones around you who will be there to stop you from giving in to your temptations, and also to stop you from feeling so emotional in the first place! Having a good chat with a friend can sometimes be all you need to snap out of the funk.
You don’t have to go to the gym for an energy boost. An energy boost can be as simple as cranking up your favourite song and dancing like crazy in your living room for five minutes. This little endorphin boost can fight off any little craving!
Sit down on a Sunday morning and write out a plan for your meals for the upcoming week. Batch cooking can be great too, because it means that your dinner will be there waiting for you when you get home. If you are feeling emotional, you can tuck into something healthier than calling for a pizza.
A great way to regulate your emotional state is to maintain a regular, healthy sleeping pattern. The less tired you are, the less stressed you are likely to get, meaning that you won’t have as many emotion induced hunger cravings!