GREENSBORO, N.C. — Election day 2020...the coronavirus pandemic...remote working and school...and the holiday season.
There are dozens of reasons to be stressed out as we approach the end of the year.
Stress can run havoc on your body and can get worse if you turn to stress eating. There are other ways to deal with stress besides overeating.
Not everyone is a stress eater. According to the Cleveland Clinic, your limbic system, which is responsible for your fight or flight response goes into overdrive when you’re stressed or worried.
Your body releases cortisol, which is a stress hormone. To manage your cortisol levels, your body feels like you have to eat foods like sweets and fattening foods to prepare you to combat the stress.
You might think that your stress eating would only impact you, but that isn’t necessarily the case.
If you’re a parent, then you’re modeling unhealthy coping skills for your children. And they’ll tend to adopt stress eating as well. Not only do you gain weight, but excess weight can also contribute to health conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems, and cancer.
In situations where you’re looking for food when you’re stressed, you can feel more stressed out when you can’t find food to pacify yourself.
The key to managing stress eating is to prevent it.
Know what triggers your stress level such as traffic, being late, or having arguments. And learn other ways to deal with stress such as exercise, walking, meditating, calling a friend, or squeezing a stress ball to relieve tension.
If you absolutely have to eat something, then make sure that you have a small healthy snack on hand.
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