Stress is a normal part of life. Try as we might, we all experience it to some degree. Whether it’s work stress, school stress, relationship stress, or financial stress (the list goes on), it’s important to have healthy coping skills to deal with stressful situations and emotions. Stress eating is a common coping mechanism for folks facing the overwhelming demands and pressures of everyday life. If you’ve been wondering how to avoid stress eating and cope with your emotions without food, it’s important to explore the root causes of your stress and add a variety of healthy coping skills to your emotional coping toolkit.

Why do we turn to food when we’re stressed?

For many of us, food has been a source of comfort and joy in our lives since childhood. Food ignites our senses and the sight, smell, sound, and taste of food can fill us with a sense of calm, love, happiness, and nostalgia. Having your favorite food in a time of stress can temporarily offer a sense of relief or distraction from difficult emotions or a long, hard to-do list.

What’s more, food is often readily available. Stressed at work? Try the vending machine. Stressed on your commute? Stop at the drive thru. Stressed at home? Head to the cookie jar. No matter where we are, we are rarely far from something to eat, which makes food a very convenient coping tool.

But our desire to eat when stressed is not just an emotional one—it’s also physical. Cortisol, our body’s stress hormone, increases appetite and sends messages to our brain to seek high-energy foods. Eating also releases happy hormones in our brain, like dopamine, which reinforces the association between food and joy.

Is stress eating bad?

Before we go any further, let’s get one thing straight—stress eating is not bad and doesn’t make you a bad person. Culturally, the dialogue around emotional eating is very negative. Which can feel very confusing—why is eating something that tastes so good and brings us joy such a bad thing? Why was is ok to eat cookies with grandma when we were sad as a child, but not ok to eat cookies when we’re sad as an adult??

The truth is, there’s no reason to feel guilty for keeping food in your emotional coping skills toolbox. But it shouldn’t be the only tool we use. Because the reality is, the comfort and joy that food offers is only temporary, and doesn’t address the root cause of our stress. For example, turning to ice cream after a break up is ok, AND we should also find ways to process and release those feelings of grief and rejection.

Food is NOT the enemy. Food that tastes good and brings us happiness is a basic pleasure of life and doesn’t need to be eliminated. Learn how to avoid stress eating by allowing food to be both fuel and fun, while also integrating other joyful activities into your life.

How to avoid stress eating and emotional eating

Eat regular, adequate, and balanced meals

First and foremost, it’s important to nourish your body consistently and adequately with a variety of balanced foods. This looks like having three meals and 2-3 snacks each day to make sure you’re eating enough. Skipping meals and snacks will not only leave you feeling physically hungry, but will also create stress, urgency, and anxiety around when and what your next meal will be.

Keep a variety of foods available at all times

If you’ve fallen victim to “You can’t stress eat cookies if you don’t keep cookies in the house,” you know that this only creates a ticking time bomb before you eventually buy cookies and binge on them. Restricting foods only creates a sense of deprivation which can fuel overeating in the long term. Keep a variety of foods—fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains AND cookies, chips, candy—in your home so you have access to lots of different foods at all times. If you tend to “hold out” for sweets until after dinner and find yourself repeatedly overeating them, try incorporating something sweet into your lunch or afternoon snack.

Explore the root cause of your stress

Sometimes we jump to eating at the first sign of discomfort which doesn’t give us an opportunity to explore why we’re feeling stressed. It might be helpful to implement a “time in” where you intentionally pause for 5 minutes to allow yourself to identify the uncomfortable feelings that are coming up. When you properly name your emotions, it’s easier to identify healthy coping skills to address them. You’ll learn how to avoid stress eating when you are more in touch with your emotions and how to process them.

Experiment with new types of self-care

Self-care doesn’t have to just look like face masks and bubble baths. In fact, self-care comes in a large variety of activities that can address different stressors.

Try…

Emotional self-care to identify, connect with, and process your emotions, ex: mindful eating, journaling, therapy, art, playing music

Practical self-care to help you meet your basic needs and create a peaceful living environment, ex: meal planning, creating a bedtime routine

Physical self-care to enhance your physical wellbeing, ex: joyful movement, massage, intuitive eating

Mental self-care that stimulates your mind and combats boredom and purposelessness, ex: puzzles, reading, podcasts, exploring new places, trying new hobbies

Social self-care to nurture and deepen relationships so you feel more connected and less lonely, ex: calling a friend, lunch dates, caring for a pet

Spiritual self-care that connects you to a higher power when you feel small and powerless, ex: meditation, attending worship, going for nature walks

Don’t skimp on sleep

Sleep deprivation can increase stress and increase appetite by as much as 30%, leaving you extra vulnerable to stress eating. If your nighttime zzz’s are lacking, try to pinpoint the cause. Try moving up bedtime, creating a sleep routine, keeping screens out of the bedroom, or doing some light stretching or yoga before hitting the sheets. Moving your body more during the day, eating regular meals, and drinking enough water can also improve sleep quality.

Implement mindfulness practices

Mindfulness is a great way to feel grounded when stress levels are high. Mindful eating is a great tool that can help you stay present at meals and snacks, allowing you to explore the reasons you might be reaching for something to eat. To practice mindful eating, plate your meal, sit somewhere without distractions, and utilize all five of your senses to experience your food.

Figure out how to avoid stress eating with the right support

Don’t let taking care of yourself stress you out even more. Work with a registered dietitian who can help you stay nourished, hydrated, and rested, even when it feels really hard.

If you fear that you or a loved one are struggling with something more than stress eating, don’t wait to schedule a consult with one of our eating disorder dietitians. We can guide you through the process of recovery and help you find your path to food freedom.