In my previous post, I shared how emotional eating can be a seductive trap for busy, high achievers. I also promised to share three strategies to help you take control of overeating and begin creating new, more effective habits. Click here to read about the first strategy. Here are two more tips that can help you to overcome emotional eating.
Anticipate
You know yourself and your life better than anyone. Once a week or so, take a look at your upcoming schedule and leverage this wisdom. Identify any upcoming challenges or situations that might trigger overeating. Examples might be a busy week, time spent with certain people, holidays or special occasions, or something you are worried or unsure about.
Try this: Ask yourself now how you want to face these situations and allow yourself to consider what will help you achieve that goal. Be sure to ask yourself what you might need so that you function at your best and are less tempted to turn to M&Ms.
Make lists
Emotional eating and overeating generally happen when you are not at your best. You may be stressed or preoccupied or wanting to avoid something. When you are in the midst of a “trigger situation” is not the easiest time to create a winning success strategy.
Try this: Make some lists—today. Identify three situations or feelings that can trigger overeating for you. For each trigger, aim to list ten things you can try in those moments instead of reaching for food. For instance, if you are a boredom eater, your list might include things like going for a walk, putting on music, or calling a friend—but only if these are ideas that you think might address your boredom. Don’t panic if you can’t come up with ten ideas. Asking the question is a powerful first step. Let the question percolate in your head and then add to your list as ideas emerge.
Effectively ending overeating and emotional eating is about much more than focusing on food. Applying the strategies I’ve shared will help you tap into the root causes of your overeating. By addressing these causes directly, you can start to take more control of not only your eating, but your life.
Take good care,
