What Kind of Stress Eater Are You?

If you think all stress eating is the same, think again. Recent studies have found two distinct patterns. See which style describes you and how you can change it.

Scientists have found that stress eaters can be divided into two groups, munchers and skippers. Munchers tend to eat more after a negative experience while skippers eat more after a positive event. Munchers also eat about one-third more calories on average.

Once you become aware of your habits, you can take control of them. Try these strategies for munchers, skippers, or anyone who struggles with emotional eating.

Strategies for Munchers

1. Give yourself a pep talk.

Remembering all your blessings makes difficult times easier to bear. Thinking about your major accomplishments helps you to recall your strengths even when you’re cringing over a recent mistake.

2. Look on the bright side.

We usually experience a number of failures on the road to success. Even when you fail to get the results you wanted, see what you can learn from the situation.

3. Laugh more.

Some stressful situations may seem funny when you try to find the humor in them. Reminisce about the blind date who spent the entire dinner explaining their conspiracy theories. You’ll be too busy laughing to stop for potato chips.

4. Develop self-compassion.

At the same time, validate your feelings. Acknowledge when you are upset or angry. Expressing emotions makes us less vulnerable to using food for comfort.

Strategies for Skippers

1. Put pleasures in perspective.

It’s natural to get excited about a dream vacation or a fabulous new pair of sandals. Be sure to also cultivate a deeper sense of peace and contentment through healthy relationships and virtuous living so you can manage your emotions and thoughts.

2. Share your joy.

The most effective way to use pleasures constructively is to share them with others. The gratification you’ll feel when you give part of your raise to charity will outshine any extra dessert.

3. Plan non-food celebrations.

If you usually go out to dinner to celebrate good times, try planning more unusual festivities. Go away for a ski weekend on your next wedding anniversary.

4. Be extra careful during the holidays.

The average weight gain of 1 to 2 pounds during the winter months adds up over a lifetime. Put your heart into Christmas carols and decorating rather than eggnog and chocolate cake.

Strategies for Any Kind of Emotional Eating

1. Practice relaxation techniques.

Melt away stress with meditation or a warm bath. Pet your cat or listen to gentle music.

2. Exercise regularly.

Exercise counters emotional eating in several ways. Physical activity burns off calories and temporarily suppresses your appetite. It also elevates your mood so it’s easier to resist cookies.

3. Talk things over.

Call a friend instead of a pizza parlor when you feel especially happy or sad. Discussing your feelings provides longer lasting relief than marinara sauce and extra cheese.

4. Keep a food journal.

Spot your individual triggers by writing down what you eat and how you feel on the spot. Your sensitive areas may be related to work or your family.

5. Discover smart substitutions.

Minimize the impact of emotional eating by finding satisfaction in fewer calories. Replace corn chips with carrot sticks dipped in salsa. Indulge in a homemade mango popsicle instead of whole fat ice cream.

6. Consider counseling.

Professional therapists have helped many people to gain control over emotional eating. Ask your physician for a referral.

Whether you’re a muncher or a skipper, you can choose to develop new and healthier habits. Eat right and manage stress so you can look and feel your best.

Natural Remedies for Reducing Stress

Stress is a normal part of everyday life. In fact, there are certain types of stress that are actually motivating and good for you. However, there are also bad types of stress that can build up and take over your life if you let it.

There are many treatment options to choose from when it comes to stress reduction. Turning to the help of natural remedies is a healthy choice, and many times it'll help you to get to the root of your stress.

When you know what causes your stress, you'll be better able to recognize it and stop it from happening again in the future.

Here are some natural remedies that can help you reduce your stress:

1. Deep breathing techniques.

Breathing deeply can work wonders when it comes to stress reduction. Your breathing is a connection between your conscious mind and the unconscious. When you're stressed, you take more shallow and short breaths. Counteract the stress, relax your body, and calm your mind with long, deep breaths.

2. Herbal remedies.

Stress-reducing herbs include valerian, passionflower, and kava-kava. These remedies double as remedies for problems, such as insomnia and anxiety, because stress is the most common cause of these ailments.

3. Watch what you put into your body.

What you eat on a daily basis can directly affect the way you feel and have an impact on your stress levels. It's important to eat nutritiously, maintain a balanced diet, and limit harmful substances such as caffeine, especially later on in the day.

4. Make extra time for yourself.

When you're stressed, you may feel like there's just not enough time in the day to accomplish everything that you'd like. This might lead you to cut out doing things for yourself even though they're vitally important. Go out of your way to make extra time for yourself to reduce your stress and rejuvenate your mind and body.

5. Take a warm bath.

A warm bath is a great natural way to leave the stresses of the day behind you. You can increase your bath's stress-reducing benefits by experimenting with different aromatherapies through soaps, bath oils, or candles.

6. Break your routine with a relaxing activity.

Try something new and bring in some excitement by breaking your routine to pursue a relaxing activity. It's a great way to relieve your stress and breathe new life into a dull day.

7. Maintain an exercise routine.

Exercise is an excellent way to combat stress. It keeps your body fit and your brain active. Exercise also releases endorphins in the brain, which energize you and reduce your stress levels.

Try to get creative when it comes to discovering new ways to combat stress. Your main goal is to avoid getting caught up in your stress.

Rather than letting stress run your life, make the decision to be the one in charge.

You'll soon be able to recognize when negative stress is taking over so you can turn to one of your natural remedies to banish it from your life for good!

Learn more about your health online when you read the rest of our information here about: Stress Management - online free guide and also download the free health report available there!

Warren Tattersall has been a full time nutritional consultant for over 35 years and works with people all over the world to help them improve their health, increase their personal energy levels and to use supplements to assist with diet related health issues.

Just send him a note on the form here - Contact Us - to request a personal no obligation one-on-one consultation with Warren

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