Luckily, there are simple ways to retrain your brain and soothe yourself without food. Here, Albers shares her favorite hacks to break the stress-eating cycle.
1. Breathe through your left nostril (seriously).
Sounds wacky, but when you block your right nostril and breathe only through your left (or alternate breathing through your left then right nostril), research shows that this activates the parasympathetic nervous system, causing your heart rate to slow and blood pressure to lower. This can help you relax and make you less impulsive. Breathing through only your right nostril, on the other hand, may have an energizing effect. This type of breathing has a long history in Ayurvedic medicine and yoga.
2. Pop your clothes in the dryer.
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When you're feeling frazzled, pop your bathrobe in the dryer for a few minutes, then wrap yourself up in all that coziness. Not only is it comforting and relaxing, but research shows that we tend to eat less when our body temperature is a bit warmer. Of course, this won't work in the office, so for a similar benefit, see if you can spike the heat a bit or move yourself near a sunny window.
3. Take a deep breath.
Inhaling deeply and allowing that air to fill your whole belly stimulates the vagus nerve—a nerve that runs from your abdomen to your brain—and has an immediately calming effect. Deep breaths also deliver more oxygen to the brain, and more oxygen equals better decision-making skills, including what you eat.
4. Eat a clementine.
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Sure, you're trying to retrain your brain not to seek out food under pressure, but certain foods are pretty kickass in the stress-busting department, for reasons beyond their nutrients. The simple act of peeling a clementine can serve as a meditative moment, bringing you into the present and out of your busy head. Plus, the smell of citrus has actually been shown to be calming. Bonus: they're portable and easy to eat—big perks if you're strapped for time.
5. Hack your lunch.
To avoid mindlessly wolfing down your lunch while responding to emails, try eating with your non-dominant hand. You're not used to it, so you're forced to focus, which makes you more mindful about what you're eating and, according to recent research, helps you consume about 30% less than you normally would. Eating off of red plates has also been shown to help slow you down.
6. Do a body scan.
Pause amidst the chaos to do a quick head-to-toe body scan. Start at your head and work your way through your neck, shoulders, back, abdomen, butt, thighs, calves, and feet, flexing and releasing each body part along the way. This refocuses your thoughts from your worry-filled head onto the present moment, which has a naturally calming effect.
7. Ditch your shoes at the door.
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One of the moments we're most prone to stress eat is right when we get home from work—meaning it's the perfect time to implement a stress-relieving ritual to help stave off a binge. This can be as simple as taking off your shoes right after you walk in the house and saying "I leave my troubles at the door." Or it might just mean immediately changing into comfy clothes and hugging your dog. (Learn how a cluttered home leads to extra stress and weight gain; check out Cut The Clutter, Drop the Pounds to get celebrity Peter Walsh's plan to put everything in its place while the pounds fall off).
8. Think "progress, not perfection."
It's so easy to think, Well I've already caved and had a cookie, so why not have 3 more? when you're stressed. Try repeating the "progress, not perfection" mantra when you're feeling that way—it might just help you to realize that every moment is a moment to improve on your previous habits, and that you don't have to give in to failure if you've had a minor sugar-coated hiccup.
