Symptoms of Stress - Are You A Stress Eater?
Symptoms of stress aren’t limited to physical ailments that lead to declining health. Stress can manifest in certain habitual behavior patterns—usually in areas that you are the weakest and have tried to overcome in the past. These sorts of behaviors usually represent something familiar and comforting—though they may actually be very destructive in the long run.
Consider the following scenarios…
You’re called into your boss’s office for a scolding because you didn’t complete a project to her liking. After the scolding, you head to the break room and the nearest vending machine for some “sweet” relief.
You and your spouse have an intense disagreement over finances or the kids sending you both to bed upset and stressed. At 1 o’clock in the morning, you find yourself sitting at the kitchen table digging into a gallon of chocolate mocha delight ice cream by the light of the refrigerator.
Does any of this sound familiar? If so, then you are very likely a stress eater. Stress eaters tend to crave “comfort food” such as chocolate, potato chips and pastas (i.e. unhealthy foods that provide escape and relief from the stressful situation at hand)
First of all, don’t feel guilty—it’ll only result in more stress eating. Besides, stress eating is quite normal and most all of us give in to it at one time or another. It’s very normal to attempt to soothe ourselves with our favorite culinary indulgence. Foods carry all sorts of comforting “associations”, such as holiday gatherings and family dinners—no wonder when we need an emotional lift, we eat!
Once you get the “guilt monkey” off your back, it’s time to take control of this little guilty pleasure because you certainly don’t want your stress to show up on your waistline. The added pounds will only increase the symptoms of stress in your life.
The best thing to do is to take an inventory of how and when you stress eat so that you can change your bad eating habits and find suitable, smarter alternatives to deal with stress.
Are you a mindless eater? Many of us come home from a hard day at the office and retire to the couch with the TV remote and mindlessly down an entire bag of potato chips or a whole box of cookies before noticing what we’ve done and subsequently feel guilty–again.
The American Psychology Association reports that 1 out of 3 women who suffer from frequent stress admit that eating is their #1 method of finding relief from stress. There’s actually a scientific reason behind this behavior– when we eat foods that are high in carbohydrates during stressful episodes, the production of serotonin is increased in our brains, which is a feel-good chemical that over-rides stress.
Unfortunately, indulging in too much of this type of stress relief, packs on unwanted pounds and consequently adds another “worry” to your already long list of things to be stressed about.
If you’re a stress eater, be determined to make wiser choices. Perhaps during one of life’s stress episodes you could grab one cookie and head out the door for a long walk or bike ride to work off the stress—and the cookie.
Or, indulge in one spoonful of ice cream on your way out to the garden weed that flower bed that’s been on your “to do list” for weeks. Or tackle that hall closet you’ve been meaning to clean out for ages.
I know, no fun—but at least it’s productive and when you’re done you’ll have a sense of accomplishment instead of guilt.
Pick a “productive distraction” that will alleviate your symptoms of stress while, at the same time, keep you out of the refrigerator.
The good news is you have the power to change your stress eating habits! If you keep it up, you’ll eventually form constructive habits that alleviate stress and keep extra pounds a bay at the same time!
If your stress is out of control and you feel powerless to make a change–there is free help available to you!
Recommendation:
- Lithium Orotate is an all natural supplement (unlike prescription synthetic lithium prescribed by doctors) that has proven very effective for taking the edge off of chronic stress and anxiety. I have personally used it for the past couple of years and find it very helpful in lifting the stress and lightening my mood. It does not cause any drowsiness or foggy thinking at all–in fact it seems to sharpen my mind and give clarity of thought. Highly recommended!
- Conquering Stress is an incredibly helpful guide to managing stress, anxiety and depression naturally without making major “life changes” or taking prescription antidepressants. It’s very well thought out and has helped a lot of people gain control of chronic stress in their lives.Take the time to educate yourself and make a serious plan to take control of your mental, emotional and physical health by kicking stress, anxiety and depression out of your life quickly and permanently! Click Here!
Warning: If you are currently on prescription anti-depressants, you must work with your doctor to safely discontinue use, if desired. Do not abruptly discontinue use of such medications as this could cause severe withdrawal effects.
