How To Stop Stress Eating

What Is Stress Eating?

Eating foods, especially those high in fat and sugar, can be a way to cope with anxiety, depression, fear, anger, and stress. According to the APA, upwards of 27% of adults eat to cope with stress. You are not alone if you struggle with stress eating. 

You might be struggling with stress eating (also called emotional eating) if you experience:

1. Craving Specific Foods: Feeling an intense craving for certain types of foods, especially those high in sugar, fat, or salt, as a way to seek comfort or distraction from stress.
2. Eating When Not Hungry: Turning to food for comfort even when you're not physically hungry, using it as a way to cope with emotional distress or boredom.
3. Mindless Eating: Engaging in distracted or unconscious eating, such as eating in front of the TV or computer without paying attention to portion sizes or hunger cues.
4. Eating for Instant Gratification: Seeking immediate relief from stress through food, as it provides a temporary sense of pleasure or distraction from negative emotions.
5. Feelings of Guilt After Eating: Experiencing guilt, shame, or regret after consuming a large amount of food during moments of stress, which can perpetuate a cycle of emotional eating.
6. Difficulty Identifying True Hunger: Struggling to differentiate between genuine physical hunger and emotional hunger triggered by stress, leading to frequent eating episodes throughout the day.
7. Weight Fluctuations: Noticing fluctuations in weight due to periods of overeating during stressful times, followed by attempts to restrict food intake as a response to guilt or shame.
8. Low Mood After Eating: Feeling a temporary boost in mood or energy immediately after eating in response to stress, followed by a subsequent crash in mood or energy levels.
9. Craving Comfort Foods: Having an overwhelming desire for specific "comfort foods" that are often associated with emotional soothing, such as ice cream, chocolate, or carb-rich snacks.
10. Increased Emotional Distress: Experiencing heightened emotional distress, anxiety, or tension before, during, or after episodes of stress eating, leading to a negative cycle of emotional regulation through food.

Recognizing these symptoms of stress eating is the first step towards developing healthier coping strategies and seeking support to address the underlying emotional issues contributing to this behavior. Remember, compassion and understanding are key as you navigate your relationship with food and emotions. Taking small steps towards mindfulness and self-care can help you break free from the cycle of stress eating and move towards a more balanced and nourishing approach to coping with stress.

Stress eating can be complicated because it often brings shame and guilt as well. In severe situations, this can coalesce into an eating disorder. Stopping stress eating before it gets to this point can be difficult, but possible. 

What Causes Stress Eating?

Our bodies will always need food, which means that eating quickly activates the reward system in the brain. Your brain wants you to eat because food keeps you alive, so when you eat, it releases dopamine: the “feel good” hormone that makes you happy and content. Your brain will try to repeat activities that give it dopamine. 

The problem is that our brains want the quickest amount of dopamine in the shortest amount of time. This is why we scroll after a long day instead of going for a run, even though we will feel better if we exercise. Scrolling is a quicker hit of dopamine. Eating fatty or sugary foods is the same. It provides quick releases of dopamine that combat stress. 

How to Stop Stress Eating: 7 Steps

Stress eating can be a challenging cycle to break, but with mindful awareness and dedication, you can cultivate healthier coping mechanisms. Here are seven empowering steps to help you stop stress eating:

1. Identify Triggers: Begin by recognizing the situations, emotions, or stressors that trigger your urge to eat emotionally. You may want to keep a journal and write down what preceded an emotional eating episode. Understanding your triggers is the first step towards gaining control over your response to stress.
2. Practice Mindful Eating: Engage in mindful eating by paying attention to your hunger cues, savoring each bite, and being present in the moment while you eat. This helps you tune into your body's signals and distinguish between physical and emotional hunger. Try to eat food without scrolling or watching TV, to focus on what you are consuming and how it makes you feel. 
3. Find Alternative Coping Strategies: Explore various activities that can help you manage stress in a healthy way, such as deep breathing exercises, going for a walk, journaling, or engaging in a hobby you enjoy. Experiment with different strategies to find what works best for you. Find something that brings you joy and is as easily accessible as your go-to food. This might mean locking your favorite food away and placing hobbies or your shoes somewhere easily accessible. Remember that your brain is more likely to choose the path of least resistance. 
4. Create a Supportive Environment: Surround yourself with nutritious food options and remove tempting, unhealthy snacks from easy reach. Having a supportive environment can make it easier to make mindful choices when it comes to eating. If you live with other people, ask them to be respectful of your goals and not eat sugary foods around you or support you when you say no to trigger foods. 
5. Establish Regular Meal Times: Maintain a consistent eating schedule with balanced meals and snacks throughout the day. This helps stabilize blood sugar levels and reduces the likelihood of sudden cravings triggered by stress. Skipping meals and then binging at night is a common practice, but has heavy negative effects on your physical and mental health.
6. Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself during moments of stress or slip-ups. It's normal to have setbacks on your journey of overcoming stress eating. Practice self-compassion and focus on progress rather than perfection. This might mean practicing body positivity or body neutrality, working on your self-image, and practicing having healthy amounts of self-esteem. 
7. Seek Professional Support: Consider reaching out to a therapist or a registered dietitian specializing in emotional eating. Professional guidance can provide you with personalized strategies and tools to address the underlying causes of stress eating and develop a healthier relationship with food.

Remember, breaking the cycle of stress eating takes time and effort, but with patience and self-reflection, you can nurture healthier habits and find alternative ways to cope with stress. Each step you take towards understanding and addressing your stress eating patterns is a powerful act of self-care and self-improvement on your journey to living a brighter, more balanced life.

What Is an Eating Disorder?

An eating disorder is a mental health condition that involves disruptions in eating behaviors and attitudes towards food. It goes beyond simply being about food, weight, or body image—it's a reflection of deeper emotional struggles and psychological challenges. People with eating disorders often use food as a way to cope with difficult emotions, seek control in their lives, or manage stress and anxiety.

There are several types of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and others. Each type has its own set of symptoms and characteristics, but they all share a common thread of disordered eating patterns that can have serious consequences on physical and emotional well-being.

If your stress eating or emotional eating has taken over your life, a therapist can help. A licensed therapist is trained to treat eating disorders and disordered eating and can help you gain freedom from food. 

Find Your Therapist