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Stress eating is something many people deal with, especially during busy, emotional, or overwhelming times. When life feels out of control, it can be tempting to turn to food for comfort, even when we're not physically hungry. While stress eating can offer short-term emotional relief, it can make it harder to reach long-term health goals. Here, we'll explore why stress eating happens, how to differentiate between stress eating and real physical hunger, and go over practical steps that you can take to build healthier habits when it comes to emotional eating.

Understanding stress eating and its triggers

Stress eating — or emotional eating — is when we eat in response to our feelings instead of in response to physical hunger. Stress-related cravings aren't about needing nutrients or energy, rather, they're about seeking comfort or distraction from difficult feelings. Food can provide temporary relief when you're feeling overwhelmed, or bored. Over time, however, emotional eating can have negative health effects, including weight gain, digestive issues, and a lack of healthy strategies for coping with stressful emotions.

When you feel stressed, the body releases cortisol, a hormone that can increase your appetite and cravings for high-fat, sugary foods. These comfort foods can provide a quick energy boost while triggering the brain's reward system. That boost, however, doesn't last, and often leads to even more stress.

Identifying emotional hunger vs. physical hunger

One of the most important strategies in combating emotional eating is learning to recognize the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. Physical hunger comes on gradually, and can be satisfied by a variety of foods. After satisfying physical hunger, you'll likely feel nourished and satisfied, and it won't be hard to stop eating.

Emotional hunger, on the other hand, is more erratic. It comes on suddenly, and feels like it can only be satisfied with super-specific foods (often sugar or salt). Emotional hunger feels urgent, like it needs to be satisfied right away, and continues even after you've eaten a reasonable amount of food.

Mindful eating practices to reduce stress eating

Mindful eating is a simple but powerful tool to help reduce emotional eating. It's about paying attention to your hunger, your body, and the foods you choose, without judgment. When you eat mindfully, you're more likely to enjoy your food, recognize when you've had enough, and understand your emotional eating triggers.

Developing healthy coping mechanisms for stress

If food has been your go-to method for managing stress, you're not alone. Thankfully, there are many other strategies that can give you similar relief, without the side effects of stress eating.

Try these alternate coping mechanisms when emotions run high:

• Get moving. Exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. A short walk, a quick yoga video, dancing to your favorite song, or even doing some quick cardio bursts (like jumping jacks) can help to release built-up tension.
• Talk it out. Call a friend or family member. Sometimes, talking through your feelings can make a big difference.
• Practice deep breathing. Sometimes, taking a brief pause between the urge to emotionally eat and actually engaging in emotional eating can be all it takes to help stop the behavior. Taking a few deep breaths can provide the pause that you need to center and reconsider eating emotionally.
• Journal your thoughts. In times of stress, writing down your thoughts can provide a healthy outlet for feelings that might otherwise lead to emotional eating.
• Engage in a hobby. Doing something creative — like reading, drawing, or gardening — can help you refocus.

Seeking professional help for emotional eating

Sometimes, stress eating can be too difficult to tackle alone. If you find that you're often eating in response to stress — especially if it's affecting your health, weight, or mental well-being — it's a good idea to reach out to a professional for help.

A mental health professional, dietitian, or therapist who specializes in emotional eating can help you:

• Understand the deeper reasons behind your eating habits
• Build self-awareness and self-compassion
• Look coping strategies that can help you manage emotions in healthy ways
• Create a personalized, sustainable plan for change

There's no shame in getting support. In fact, asking for help is a sign of strength. Working with a professional can help you gain the tools that you need to change eating habits for good.

Staying on track with your goals

Whether your goal is to feel better in your body, find non-food-related ways to manage stress, or lose weight, emotional eating can make it tough to move forward. The good news: even small changes can make a big difference.

Try these tips to stay focused and empowered as you work to change your eating habits:

• Celebrate non-scale victories. Even if you're trying to lose weight, you don't need to be focused on the scale 100% of the time. Notice times when you choose a walk over a stress-related snack, or when you choose to call a friend instead of engaging in emotional eating.
• Practice progress — not perfection. Setbacks are normal, and it will take some time to establish new eating habits. As long as you're working toward establishing new habits, you're on the right track.
• Set realistic goals. Practicing mindful eating once a day or learning a new stress management strategy once a week can help you move toward a healthier relationship with food.

We're here to help you create healthy eating habits, one decision at a time

Managing stress isn't about willpower or strict diets. It's about understanding your triggers, listening to your body, and giving yourself tools that help you make choices that support your health and happiness.

If you're working to overcome stress eating patterns, Evidation can help. When you download our free app, you'll be prompted to share the health data that you're already tracking. We'll use the information you choose to share to find insights and provide you with personalized, content-based insights that help you take the steps necessary to help you feel your best. Click here to learn more and get started with Evidation today.