Building an Emotional Eating Toolbox

Mar 16, 2024

Hello everyone! It's Karen here, ready to talk about emotional eating with you this week. One of the things we'll discuss is how food, for many of us, is a default coping mechanism for emotions. It's easy, accessible and feels good in the moment. And while eating can be one option for how you choose to deal with emotions, you don't want it to be the only option. We want to give ourselves a variety of tools to choose from when emotions hit. Think of it like a toolbox, where you have a variety of tools, each designed to address a specific need. Here are some ideas for how you can build an emotional eating toolbox:

Soothing/calming tools:

Deep breathing exercises
Guided meditation
Snuggling with a pet or stuffed animal
Put a cold or hot washcloth on your face
Take a shower or bath
Lay in a restorative yoga position for a few seconds
Play calming music
Use essential oils

Connection tools:

Spend time with a partner or a family member
Call someone you haven't talked with in a while
Text with a friend
Interact on social media (be careful with this one!)

Laughter/joy tools:

Watch an episode of a funny TV show
Listen to a funny podcast
Dance like no one is watching to a fun song
Play with a child or pet

Energizing tools:

Go for a brisk walk outside
Brew a cup of coffee or tea
Listen to energizing music
Take a power nap

Processing tools:

Journaling
Make an appointment with a therapist
Practice a deep breathing exercise or meditation to help you sit with your emotions
Cry or scream into a pillow

Distraction tools:

Work on a puzzle
Play a game on your phone
Do some small chores around the house

Everyone's toolbox will look different, but when emotions bubble up, you'll be ready with some non-foods way to cope.