You answered "yes" to four or fewer questions, which means you're probably not a stress overeater, but you may want to assess the questions you answered "yes" to and use them as a basis for making positive lifestyle changes.
Here's What to Do:
- Take a moment and ask yourself: "How easy is it for me to work through stressful situations? Can I regroup and shift from Plan A to Plan B without self-destructive behavior?"
- Take inventory of your stressors — write them down and note how you feel about each one.
- Write an action plan — one that does not include self-destruction. Feel the empowerment of doing something instead of chewing down that stress!
- If you're not physically active, this is the time to hop to it — medicate with movement, not food! Every day, walk two to three miles and lift weights twice a week to stay mentally and physically strong.
- Plan your food shopping. Be sure to plan your meals and snacks well in advance so that you don't skip meals and become vulnerable to eating junk under stress. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
- Learn how to calm down and keep that stress hormone under control — whether it's with meditation, quiet walks in the park, baths, soothing music, aromatherapy or whatever else helps you to relax.
- Start journaling. Science shows that it helps to calm you down and hold you accountable for your actions as you really think them through on paper.
