3 Questions to Ask If You’re Always Turning to Food for Comfort
First off, food is MEANT to be enjoyed. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with indulging from time to time. Food is a part of life — enjoy that burger on a Friday night or a glass of wine chatting with your girlfriends!
That being said, there’s a difference between enjoying food and habitual comfort eating.
If you find yourself always reaching for the potato chips, ice cream, or cookies whenever you’re feeling stressed, tired, upset, anxious, etc, then the negative side effects might eventually begin to outweigh the positives. The positive is that the food is calming your nervous system, but the negative could be weight gain, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. If that’s the case, it might be time we find a healthier way to calm your nervous system and boost your mood so you don’t have to rely on food to do the trick.
Ask yourself these 3 questions if you find yourself turning to the potato chips & wine (or whatever your guilty pleasure is) more often than you’d like:
1. Am I actually hungry right now? Or am I stressed, bored, or trying to relax?
The first step to breaking the habit is awareness.
You might actually be physically hungry, so then we can look at how to upgrade your snack foods. What are some better choices you could swap out those low-energy foods with? If you need some ideas, download my free 9 Healthy Snack & Breakfast Ideas for some tasty make-ahead recipes.
If it turns out you’re not physically hungry and instead feel stressed or bored and needing to relax, then we need to peel back the layers a bit.
When you catch yourself grabbing that bag of potato chips or cookies after a long day, stop and get curious without judgment.
2. What am I hoping to gain or feel from having this?
If it’s not physical hunger, what is it? Is it a calm break from a stressful day? Is it a sense of comfort or familiarity? Or to have a moment of relaxation by yourself with no one bothering you?
What is it you’re TRULY craving?
3. When was the last time I did something for myself to relax or have fun?
If you can’t remember the last time, or it’s just a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of thing, then it’s no wonder you’re craving some comfort!
Taking time to relax and have fun shouldn’t be a luxury that's a “nice to have.” It’s necessary for your mental and physical health.
We all need to satisfy our cravings for relaxation and pleasure in order to let off steam and reduce stress.
Try some of these ideas:
read a book in bed
take a walk around the block on your lunch break
get a massage or mani/pedi
buy yourself fresh flowers
schedule a fun weekend outing with your family, spouse, or a friend
take a class and learn something new
Now, where can you carve out a little time for one of these activities this week? Even if it’s just 15 minutes, put it somewhere where you’ll see that reminder — your calendar, daily planner, reminder/alarm on your phone, a post-it, whatever works for you. Try to honor that appointment like you would for someone else.
If you want more personalized support to help you change your comfort eating habit for good so you can feel better about your choices with food without feeling deprived, then hop on a free call with me.
We’ll talk about where you are now, where you want to be, and what’s been getting in the way. I’ll share how I can help, and if it feels right for you, we can chat about next steps. If not, no worries — you’ll still walk away with clarity on what to focus on next.