I’ve been extremely stressed lately. From some traumatic things that have happened in the past couple weeks, to trying to plan a fun and quick trip/honeymoon for Bryan and I (which, in comparison to everything else, is really not that much of a chore), to getting food poisoning, it has been a HELL of a week in the Buckley household.
When I get stressed out during weeks like this, I do one of the worst things you can do for your body – stress eat.
It always starts of innocently enough and I find myself feeling pretty ill, but also very guilty. I never knew why it’s what I use to cope, but when I started to look back on it, I realized I’ve done it all my life. Sad break up in my early 20’s? Pint of ice cream. Stressed out for test in college? A monster hazelnut iced coffee from McDonalds and some super salty french fries. It’s only recently that I’ve really had to check myself because I’m aware that I have to keep my blood sugar in check to avoid some of these things.
So what do I do any time I feel my the urge to go on a stress-related binge?
I take an incredibly deep breath.
One strong, deep breath helps me refocus my thoughts and melt away some of my stress. It gives me the opportunity to ask myself about the root of my issue so that I can get around it.
I drink some water (or a small glass of wine).
If I feel like I’m having a stress-related hunger episode, I will drink an entire glass of water, or sip on a glass of wine. Water makes me feel a little more full, while wine always calms me down a little bit.
I calm down with some stretches, or exercises.
I like this because it’s a productive way for me to release some of my stress. Maybe it’s doing some yoga poses, or parts of a kick-boxing routine I like. It’s a way for me to burn some calories, and relieve some stress so I don’t destroy a bag of popcorn in the pantry.
I stay completely away from the kitchen.
This is just what’s best for me. There are times where I can’t even be near the kitchen. It helps me to walk away, take some water to another room, and stay far, far away from the fridge.
I find something relaxing to occupy my time.
Maybe it’s grabbing my camera to take some photos, or humming a song I like. I try to relax to push the stress aside.
We all cope with stress in different ways – when you get stressed, when you want to turn to something bad for you, what do you do instead? I would love to know below.
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