A simple way to overcome stress or stress eating... this easy process can be used at any time of the day. It is particularly effective when you are feeling overwhelmed with anxiety or when you come home after a particularly stressful day. As with any de-stressing technique, the more your practice the easier it will become.

Some people find it easy to deal with stress while others find it very difficult. This article is aimed at those who find themselves anxious or stressed and then turn to food as a way to get lost in eating and escape the tightness of stress. This process is excellent to use if you find it hard to switch off from the stresses of life.

Grab a pad of paper, a pen, and sit yourself down somewhere comfortable and quiet, where you are unlikely to be disturbed for a few minutes. Then sit down, and follow this simple six-step process to a more relaxed and self-empowered you.

Step 1. Breathe

Take a deep breath and hold it for a couple of seconds, then release it slowly and steadily. Then repeat this two or three more times.

Step 2. Acceptance

Notice your body and become aware of where you hold your tension, stress, and anxiety. Instead of trying to fix anything, let your current state of tension be entirely acceptable. It is what it is. Faced with uncertainty of what will happen next, it is normal to feel sad, frustrated, or overwhelmed. But whatever you are feeling, the first step is to accept things as they are. This is tricky business I admit, but let go of fighting, fixing, or running away from what you are feeling. Accept reality as it is right now.

Step 3. Pure Expression

Take out your pad of paper and pen, and for the next couple of minutes describe your current situation. How does your body feel? What is tight, tense, or constricted? What thoughts are going through your mind? What emotions are associated with your thoughts? This is not an occasion to analyze why things are the way they are, or how you are going to fix things, rather this is an opportunity of pure expression. Writing allows the adrenaline filled stress energy to begin moving out of your body.

Step 4. Offer Reassurance

Stress is a painful experience in which you believe that you lack the resources, time, or capacity to lead yourself through a situation. By losing yourself in food when you are feeling stress, you surrender your ability to act with personal power and effectiveness. To counter this belief and habitual response, let yourself know that you are safe no matter what is happening. Once you are done writing, reassure yourself that even if you don't yet know exactly how you are going to get through this stressful situation, you are capable of making wise decisions.

Step 5. Invite Positive Insights

Once again, take several deep, conscious breaths. Much of what you are feeling is an outpouring of adrenaline that puts you into a state of panic and reaction. Adrenaline makes the situation seem like an emergency, and it limits your choices to fight, flight, or becoming frozen in inaction. Remind yourself that no matter how it feels right now, it is not true that whatever is happening is an emergency. Decide that you will not make reactionary, limited, or fearful choices while in a pumped up adrenaline state.

One of the best ways to move beyond the adrenaline rush is to breathe. Breathing moves stress energy and brings you back into center. When you are feeling calmer, ask yourself, "If I were wise and loving, what step would I take to create a positive outcome for myself." Listen to what insights or intuitive hunches come. If you don't have any insights in the moment, that's okay. Assure yourself that you will know what to do when the time is right.

Step 6. The Process of Change

Take another deep breath and stand up. If you still feel the need to stress eat, then go ahead and do so. Engaging in this process is an experience. You participate not to put harsh pressure on yourself, but to show yourself that you can relieve stress in new ways, and that you can trust yourself to get through any situation. If you were not able to overcome the need to reach for stress eating the first time, or even the first fifty times, that's okay. You are still benefiting from the process. Letting go of self-doubt, or the stress that occurs with the expectation of failure, hurt, and disappoint doesn't happen overnight. Give yourself credit for trying something new.



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