Playing a major role in every aspect of life, negative stress is a result of everything from mundane daily life tasks, to feeling ill; or in the most severe of situations- major career shifts, lost loved ones, and even difficulty with managing weight. So what’s the toll this constant bombardment of stress can have on us? Well, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, some common effects of stress include:
- Sleep disturbances
- Lack of motivation
What we don’t always consider are the impacts that stress can have on our lifestyle choices and daily behaviors. Stress, especially when chronic, can lead to episodes of over-or undereating, drug or alcohol abuse, social withdrawal, and a decrease in physical activity. These factors not only interfere with achieving a healthy lifestyle, but these are particularly impacted when trying to lose weight.
The Food + Mood Connection
Eating comfort foods (i.e., sweet, salty, and fatty or fried foods) during times of stress can not only pack on unnecessary pounds but it can further impact mood and raise the risk for anxiety, guilt and even depression. In fact, reaching for your favorite comfort foods can become such a common response, that it often deviates from allowing you to cope with stress in a healthy and meaningful way. Instead of opting for food during times of stress, try out some alternatives.
Healthy Alternatives to Comfort Foods
1 | Learn the signals of stress
Become familiar with stress and how you typically respond to it. Instead of allowing the element of surprise to increase your stress and hinder your ability to cope, anticipate when something may become stressful and learn ways to adapt.
2 | Go on a walk
Rather than making a mad dash for that pint of ice cream in your freezer, opt for a 20 minute walk outside. Even if the weather is not optimal, the fresh air can really help to clear your mind, allowing for you to think of positive ways to overcome the situation; not to mention, exercise stimulates blood flow and stimulates the feel-good endorphins in your brain!
3 | Keep healthy snacks on hand
Instead of having those foods that interfere with you being healthy, opt for fresh cut fruits and veggies, whole-grain granola, Greek yogurt, low-fat string cheese, and sparkling water. It’s far easier to choose these foods when the junk foods aren’t easily accessible, so replace those unnecessary foods with those your body can really benefit from!
4 | Find an alternative to boredom
Tend to reach for comfort foods out of boredom? Seek out an alternative, such as reading, journaling, meditation, walking, stretching, talking with a loved one, spending time with a pet, or listening to music. Allow these positive distractions to help you overcome the fear of boredom and any stress that comes along with it.
5 | Identify setbacks
This happens to us all! Instead of beating yourself up over giving into that tempting pizza because you just had a rough day, accept that it was just a bad day and it was just pizza. Tomorrow is a new day and full of opportunities to focus on making healthy choices.
Above all else, be patient with yourself and learn that creating new habits takes time. When you learn positive ways to overcome stress, it’s pretty incredible the possibilities you begin to create!
Healthy Lifestyle: Stress management. Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987 Accessed Apr 10, 2017.