Hitting the Pause Button

Hey everyone, it's Karen here! Since we are talking about emotional eating this week, I'd like to introduce the concept of a "mental pause button." As we'll learn this week, emotional eating often happens on auto-pilot, without much active thought (if any) about what we're doing. For example, you may feel an emotion, such as stress, and before you know it you are sitting down with a bowl of ice cream. You can't even remember making the decision. It just seemed to happen. Using food to cope with uncomfortable emotions has become your default reaction. We need to break the cycle and move from reacting to thinking and choosing.

Here are some steps to help you build a mental pause button:

1. Recognize the trigger.

Notice when feelings are building inside of you. Now is the time to activate your internal pause button.

2. Press pause.

Mentally say, “pause,” like you are pausing a TV show or video game. A phrase I often say to myself when I feel like emotional eating is "Is this what you really want to do?"

3. Take a deep breath.

It's amazing how a deep breath can help you compose your thoughts and bring you into the present moment.

4. Observe.

If you feel the urge to eat, think about what you're feeling and other ways you can meet your needs in that moment. Think through all your options and play them out in your mind, including the choice to eat something. Try to observe your thoughts without judgement. Think about how you want the situation to play out.

5. Press play.

Now you’re ready to act. Mindfully.

This process may feel awkward and cumbersome at first. But it really only takes a few seconds to do. By giving yourself that extra time in the heat of the moment, you can choose instead of react, and give yourself a better chance for an outcome you feel satisfied with. It reminds you that you have the power to make different decisions and not be a prisoner to your past!