I am a stress eater.
I always have been.
I learned at an early age to manage feelings by putting food in my mouth.
Food made feel better.
But the food I was eating also made me fat.
As I was learning to change my thoughts about my body, and learning to feel my feelings without resorting to food, somebody asked me, “What can you do besides eat?”
At first, I couldn’t think of anything. Seriously. Eating was the one and only way I could manage my stress. Eating was what I lived for, especially at 6 pm on a Friday night, when I’d had a long week at work. I would walk directly to the refrigerator, open the door, pull out a container of whatever, stand in front of the refrigerator, with the door still open, and eat.
But I eventually found some answers to that question, and here are a few things I do now instead of eating under stress.
1 Call a friend. Loving support makes all the difference.
2 Write. Put pen to paper and let it rip.
3 Go for a walk. Enjoy the beauty of the natural world.
4 Clean something you love. It can be a creative act.
5 Take a bubble bath. Essential oils, anyone?
6 Go for a bike ride. Enjoy your neighborhood.
7 Read. Fill yourself with inspiration.
8 Meditate. Be still. Be quiet. And breathe.
9 Listen to music. A powerful mood shifter, right?
10 Go for a run. I always feel better after a run.
What can you do besides eat?
Let me know!
Up Next: Think and Grow Thin
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These are great suggestions, Kristin! Very helpful. I'd add doing something creative that engages my hands and imagination -- coloring a mandala while listening to music, knitting, working on some piece of art.
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