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Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. We have all experienced stress at some point in our lives, and right now, it’s higher than it should be.
Most of the country is practicing social distancing and quarantine right now. Not only are we worried about this very contagious disease spreading around the globe, but we are also worrying about homeschooling our kids, working from home, not having a job at all, or running out of toilet paper.
There is so much stress……… and it is very common to reach for food and eat our feelings when we are feeling stressed about work, family, or other things.
Unfortunately, this habit can make us overeat and ultimately gain weight, which can lead to feelings of depression and added stress.
I am determined to stay on track with my health as much as I can during this quarantine, and I want to share a few of the tips that are working for me to manage the stress eating, or even eating out of boredom. You too can take action now and stop the negative cycle.
Why Does Stress Make Us Hungry?
Eating isn’t only physical, but it is also psychological.
When you’re stress eating, you eat food for reasons other than to curb hunger.
During stress eating, you eat to satisfy your appetite or cravings for a certain food because you believe it will provide emotional relief.
Increase in Cortisol Levels
During stressful situations, your body releases a hormone called cortisol, which can boost your appetite and cravings for “unhealthy” foods.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to make your way out of the stress eating cycle. Here are 7 ways to stop stress eating:
7 Ways to Help You Stop Stress Eating
1. Know Your Triggers
You are uniquely you. Since we’re all different, you must work on identifying the circumstances and emotions that cause you to reach for food outside of hunger.
Once you know your triggers, you can develop a plan to avoid them or prepare for them.
A good idea is to have a “replacement” activity for when cravings come, don’t just sit and try to push through it.
By not taking action, you’re constantly thinking about your cravings, so instead, go for a little walk or drive to clear your head. These are perfect activities you can do right now and safely practice social distancing. For example, when I want to binge on an unhealthy snack, I have been going outside and walking around the block instead.
2. Exercise to Reduce Stress
Studies have shown that people who are in shape tend to better handle the effects of stress.
This is because exercise produces chemical changes in the brain that reduce stress.
I know that for some, stress is the reason why they don’t feel like exercising. However, it’s important for the future you that you work on breaking this habit.
Just like you entered a habit of drifting in depression and stress, you can enter a habit of health and wellness.
Move your body every single day. Get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Go for a walk. Do some stretching or light yoga. Turn on your favorite playlist and have a dance party in your living room.
Related Post: 10 Ways to Avoid Weight Gain
3. Meditate or Pray
Many people underestimate the power of being alone with their minds. They are often impatient and feel the need to stay busy all the time. Right now, we have all the time in the world. Use it to create this new, healthy habit.
Meditation helps calm the mind and slows your heart rate and breathing.
When you’re calmed and focused, you can also concentrate more and therefore make healthier food choices.
So consider setting up a specific time each day to meditate, you can use apps like Headspace and Unplug to help you out.
4. Stay Connected to Your Friends and Family
If you’re a habitual stress eater, consider asking a really good friend or family member to help you out. Be honest and open about what you’re going through and how you’d like them to help you.
A good way they can help is by being open to letting you call them whenever you feel stressed.
During the call, they can remind you about your nutrition goals and motivate you with positive talk, and you can talk out your feelings and decompress.
Join a health or fitness challenge with a friend. There are so many free options out there right now, and it would be fun to do it together.
5. Just Breathe
When you feel like a stressful situation is taking the best out of you, stop and breathe deeply for a few minutes.
You’ll want to breathe in through your stomach, not your chest, let it fill up, hold it for a few seconds, release, and repeat for a few minutes.
This will improve oxygen flow in your body, relax your muscles, keep your mind off the stress, and lower your cortisol levels. A friend recently recommended an app called iBreathe and it’s great!
6. Eat More Nutrient-Dense Foods
Mixing physical and psychological hunger is something to be aware of. When this happens, you’re not only eating for fullness, but for comfort as well.
This can be dangerous because comfort foods are often fatty and sugary, high-calorie, and not filling at all, which is why it’s easier to overeat them.
To reduce your chances of overeating, you may want to plan more nutrient-dense meals.
Consider having at least 1 serving of green vegetables and at least 20 grams of protein at each meal. This is one reason why I love smoothies. It’s a great way to get more protein in your diet. They are quite tasty and very filling.
I love the Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. (It can be ordered from Amazon or found at your local grocery.)
Also, consider eating nutrient-dense carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, legumes, whole grains, and fruits.
7. Get More Sleep
Lack of sleep causes changes in hormones that may favor an increase in food consumption and lead to weight gain.
It can also increase stress, which leads to increased cortisol levels, that can, as previously mentioned, boost appetite and cravings.
It’s recommended that adults get between 7-8 hours of sleep. A few tips to get you relaxed for a night of deep sleep:
Relax in a detox bath.
Use essential oils or a refreshing pillow mist.
Use a sleeping mask. I swear by mine. Once you get used to it, you will never go back to sleeping without one.
The Bottom Line
You can totally do this! Learn to understand and listen to your body to be able to know the difference between actual hunger and stress triggers.
It might take some time, but I KNOW you can do it. You’ve got this! Please share any of your tips in the comments.
*Disclaimer – I am not a doctor. If you think you need to see your doctor about your stress, then do it! Don’t hesitate! 
Looking for more ways to relax and make time for yourself right now? Sign up to receive my FREE 30 Day Self Care Challenge HERE.
Stress eating is a real thing for me right now. I’m fine during the day. But the evenings have been getting to me lately.
Yes, it is. At night, I have been making me some hot tea when I get the munchies. It seems to be fulfilling and helpful. Make sure its caffeine-free though if you try it!
I really need to get back into my regular exercise routine. It helps me have healthy eating habits for sure.
It is really cool how they go hand in hand. Just a daily walk is so good for your heart and stress level.
How are you???
It is good to stay mindful when we are eating. I have been doing a lot of boredom eating as well and this is a good reminder to be more thoughtful about how we approach things.
Now more than ever we need to eat well for immunity!!
I don’t normally have a problem with this, but there are times in my life that I have. It’s awful to suffer from! These are some good ways to help curb it though.
Thanks for reading Shayla. Stay safe!
YES! Especially the last one – we are at our weakest when tired/sleep-deprived as far as unhealthy food choices go! I’d also add planning around your triggers – I tend to get really stressed when the kids get off the bus and my work-at-home “me time” day ends abruptly, so I’ve found that having a healthy snack just before they get home makes for a good transition AND keeps any real hunger at bay!
I completely agree!! Sounds like you have a good plan down.
I, personally, have never been a stress eater. With that being said, I do know how hard it is to overcome the stress eating as I’ve witnessed it from someone very close to me. Thank you for putting this together, to help those who need this. This is an amazing resource to have!
Thank you so much for reading, Rikki! Stay safe and well.
while i don’t eat stress eat much, i do need to work on sleep and exercise just a little bit more.. 🙂
Yes, all of those things go hand in hand!
I don’t THINK I’m stress eating, but I’ve also not worn anything but sweatpants in a couple of weeks.
I’m going to try to start a yoga routine tonight. I have been stress eating, stress organizing, and a lot of stress-tv watching. I need to get moving.
Let me know how the yoga routine goes. That always makes me feel better!! Plus, you can eve do a few moves while you watch tv. Just start somewhere! 🙂
Especially at this point there could be a lot of stress eating . Need to know the trigger and try to avoid is the better advice
Absolutely! That’s why I talked about knowing your triggers.
I definitely need to sleep more and exercise more. I used to exercise regularly but ever since my gym closed down for the quarantine I just haven’t been as motivated. Thankfully it hasn’t turned into stress eating.
Good for you! And yes, I miss my gym so much. I am slowly getting into a at-home workout routine but it’s not nearly as fun……haha
I think these points are so useful – not just for people that eat because they are stressed, but also for others that suffer depression and overeat to feel a comfort level that they associate food (and usually unhealthy food) with. This is mostly to do with our state of mind and the more you can invest in activities that assist this, the more likely you are to conquer binge eating and be all the more healthy as a result. Great post.
Thank you so much for reading, Nicole! I definitely agree with your point as well.
Yesss to the staying connected point! I noticed a lot in my early stay at home mom days that on days I was extra stressed, Id also had little to no contact with other adults, and often would eat more!
You are so right. We were made to have connection, and right now, we just have to be creative with how we have it. Hang in there, Mama!
Great post. I just wrote one on Intuitive Eating and it’s tackling the same issues. Right now a lot of people are stress eating but there is absolutely a way to stop. Maybe easier for some than for others but this is really the time to do it.
That’s awesome, Maria. I will have to check out your article. Do you mind sharing it?
Man, I needed these tips! It’s so hard right now. I def. need more sleep and meditation and quiet.
I sure hope they help. Hang in there!
I totally agree with getting in some exercise! Get all that nervous energy out with a run or lifting!
What is your favorite form of exercise?