{"id":2454,"date":"2019-07-31T12:13:37","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T12:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/article\/i-cant-stop-stress-eating\/"},"modified":"2023-04-21T18:38:08","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T22:38:08","slug":"i-cant-stop-stress-eating","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-cant-stop-stress-eating\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a1No puedo dejar de comer por estr\u00e9s!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all done it: you get dumped, or things are piling up at work, and suddenly that freshly bought pint of Ben & Jerry\u2019s is empty. Now you feel guilty for eating something \u201cbad\u201d\u2014which only stresses you out more!<\/p>\n

Stress eating, also called emotional eating<\/strong>\u2014or just \u201ceating your feelings\u201d\u2014is pretty much what it sounds like: eating because you\u2019re stressed, not because you\u2019re hungry. You probably already know that overeating can be a health risk, and that\u2019s not helping\u2014so what can you do now?<\/p>\n

There are two main things to think about here: managing your stress level, and maintaining a good relationship with food.<\/p>\n

Managing your stress level<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re eating because of stress, then managing your stress will naturally help you manage your eating. Techniques you use to manage stress are called habilidades de afrontamiento<\/strong>. Stress eating is one example of a coping skill; we do it because it makes us feel better in the moment.<\/p>\n

Coping skills can be healthy or unhealthy. Usually what makes them unhealthy is when we rely on a single coping skill too much. For example, most people can drink a beer now and then to relax, but if that\u2019s your go-to every time you\u2019re stressed, it will likely become a problem for you<\/a>. Stress eating is the same way\u2014it\u2019s probably harmless every now and then, but if you\u2019re doing it every time you\u2019re stressed, it\u2019s going to cause problems for you.<\/p>\n

So don\u2019t beat yourself up over eating your feelings this time. But next time, try a deep breathing exercise, write in a journal, or do some yoga<\/a> instead. The more coping skills you have in your stress management toolbox, the more balanced you\u2019ll be\u2014and health is all about balance.<\/p>\n

Your relationship with food<\/h2>\n

Food is something we need to survive. It provides nutrients that keep us alive and healthy. It reminds us of home and makes us feel safe\u2026 and of course, it tastes good. There\u2019s nothing wrong with any of that; food should be something we enjoy, not something we feel guilty about.<\/p>\n

But sometimes our relationship with food becomes unhealthy. We start to see food as a \u201cmagic bullet\u201d that can solve all our problems\u2014or we see it as an enemy that we need to avoid. There are a few things we can do to bring our relationship with food back to a healthy place:<\/p>\n