When you’re stressed, you may find it harder to eat healthy because you don’t take the time to prepare and plan for healthy food. In addition, when you are stressed, you may eat to fulfill emotional needs — also called stress eating or emotional eating. In addition, when you are stressed the body produces cortisol, which has been linked to craving comfort foods and in addition, stress increases your insulin levels which impacts your ability to burn off food.
Emotional eating is triggered by feelings from a very young age when you start to develop emotional associations with food. It starts from the day you are born and are offered breast or bottle milk to feed you and stop you from crying. We associate food with comfort, coping, celebration, love and friendships. Sometimes food is the only friend to soothe pain and loneliness, including stress.
In order to lose weight and change your eating habits, it is important that you reduce your stress. Everyone experiences stress in their life, however chronic stress is a health hazard and it is really important that you address it. People who experience stress often believe that there is no way out of it. For example, you may be really busy in work and have deadlines or you may think if I don’t put in all those extra hours, I won’t get the promotion. Some stress is very useful, it helps you get a job done. However, if stress is ongoing, it is really important that you find a way to reduce stress in your life.
What is stress?
It is an emotional and physical response when you are under pressure.
The symptoms include:
1) physical
2) emotional and
3) behavioural changes
Physical Changes: When you are stressed, your body produces the ‘fight or flight’ chemicals which prepare your body for responding to danger. Adrenaline and noradrenaline raise your blood pressure, increase your heart rate and increase the rate at which you perspire. They may also reduce blood flow to your skin and reduce your stomach activity. Over time these chemicals and the changes they create can seriously damage your health. You may start to experience headaches, nausea and indigestion. You may breathe more quickly, perspire more, have palpitations or suffer from various aches and pains. Longer term you may be putting yourself at risk from heart attacks and strokes.
Emotional changes: When you are stressed you may experience many different feelings, including depression, fear, anger, anxiety and frustration. Many of these emotions may make you feel physically unwell that you then worry that you have some serious physical conditions such as heart disease, stroke or cancer – making you even more stressed.
Behavioural changes: Often when you are stressed you may act and behave differently. You could become withdrawn and lose social contact. Or you may become aggressive, start using unhealthy behaviour to help you cope, such as drinking too much alcohol, smoking etc. Your sleep may be affected and may be tearful at times.
Now visit the material section and use the worksheets to help you identify and manage your stress.