Most people aren’t aware they are suffering stress. It’s often called the silent killer for this reason. Hereunder is the common source of your daily stress:

• Workplace stress (meeting deadlines, physically demanding)
• Daily grind sitting in traffic or a home with kids
• Constantly late for things
• Procrastination
• Living in a cluttered home
• Denying the body of food continually
• Too much time on social media
• Parenting
• Relationships issues
• Chronic illness or caring for someone with an illness
• Exercise
• Higher consumption of caffeine

As you can see, some stress is unavoidable. Therefore, daily self care activities are key for stress relief. Therefore, to handle stress-eating, prevention is your best bet to avoid cravings. Here are 12 Scientifically Proven Steps to Prevent Stress Eating

1. Walk in green space 
2. Journal 20min/day 
3. Morning routine (how routines reduce anxiety + increase security)
4. Evening routine
5. Meditate 5+ min
6. Work breaks throughout the day
7. Hydrate 
8. Daily quiet time
9. Move 5 min 
10. Nourishing meals throughout the day
11. Add spice – try something new (recipe, dance class – whatever is exciting)
12. Create your own go-to list of what works for you.

But sometimes, no matter how hard we try to create balance, life gets crazy and stress eating creeps up. So, here are some things to do when you’re right in the thick of it :

1. Acknowledge how you’re feeling. Tell yourself, aloud if you need to, “I’m super anxious right now and that’s ok. It’s ok that I’m stressed. Of course I’m trying to comfort myself right now, that’s only natural. I’m human and I’m allowed to be stressed”.Acknowledging your emotions has the power to give you instant relief. Stress eating is a way to soothe yourself, and that’s ok. It’s a sign and opportunity to go deeper and reflect on what’s going on.
2. Think about what you truly need at that moment. Is it quiet time? To feel connected with someone? Fresh air where you can breath and feel expansive? To let your anger out through writing and burning the pages? (I often recommend this to my clients; burning your words and watching them dissolve into smoke is one of the best therapeutic releases).
3. There’s also the very important “forgive yourself” phase. One of the biggest questions clients ask me is, “So, how exactly do I forgive myself??”. It’s hard because we’re so used to beating ourselves up, but pausing to forgive ourselves instead? That’s new.Start simple, and I mean simple. Get out a piece of paper and write down how you’re feeling and why it’s ok. For some clients, talking to themselves in the mirror helps. After all, you gotta get to know yourself in a new light, one with compassion.
4. Finally, make a routine with daily activities that fill your cup. Check out this article on what you can do to prevent stress eating with different self care activities that give you more energy to handle whatever comes your way.
   

Overall, stress eating reduces naturally when we start to express ourselves better, allow ourselves to feel however we’re feeling, reduce restrictions, and actively work towards creating a life with relaxation, meaning, and joy. It’s a process of course, one we’re all in together, so be gentle with yourself and let things take their time as you learn to listen to your body and find what works for you. Most importantly, be kind to yourself, after all, it’s the number one marker of happiness.