Emotional eating is the process of consuming foods (often high calorie, fatty foods) as a way to cope with personal stress and duress. Effective ways of curbing the habit of emotional eating involve finding new, healthier, methods of coping with—or altering—one’s emotional state. At Thrive Counseling, we have discovered that the following basic strategies are helpful to our clients. 1) Engage in alternative enjoyable activities. We turn to emotional eating because it improves our emotional state. Make a list of other activities that you enjoy—and review that list when you feel a craving coming on. For some of our clients, alternative activities have included: calling a friend, walking the dog, or downloading a song from iTunes. 2) Drink Water. Many of us live in a constant state of dehydration. When we’re dehydrated we can mistake thirst for hunger. Staying well hydrated can reduce cravings and provide you more energy throughout the day. 3) Substitute some lower calorie foods. If … [Read more...]