How to deal with stress eating

Stress eating can take many forms, and if you're anything like me or my clients, it might look something like this:

• Grabbing fast food on your way home to decompress after a long day

• Mindlessly munching on tortilla chips while feeling overwhelmed by the chaos at home

• Reaching for comfort food like pizza when you just need a break from the demands of the day

• Binging on bags of popcorn in front of the TV to zone out

Stressed out. Overwhelmed. Frazzled. Drained.

These are words I hear often from my clients when they describe how they’re feeling — and at the root of it all, it’s stress. And the chosen coping mechanism? FOOD.

Even when clients really want to stop stress eating, the old habits creep back in. So how do you break the cycle?

Figure Out What the Real Problem Is

The first step is to understand what's actually causing the stress. If you're feeling overwhelmed, what's the root cause? Maybe your kids are loud and you just need some quiet time. Food can’t solve that problem — but what could?

I remember when my kids went through that "screechy" baby phase. I found myself on the edge, listening to the startlingly loud noise, and would often snack to cope. But food never once helped me solve the real problem. So? I stopped snacking, and started using earplugs and headphones to save my ears. Weird? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. It helped keep me sane, and I stopped stress eating over it.

If you feel like you need a break after work, ask yourself what kind of break would be more helpful than stopping at the drive-thru. One of my clients once sat in the restaurant parking lot for 10 minutes, just to reset and take a breath before heading home. It gave her a moment to check in with herself, decompress, and prepare for the demands of home life. That 10 minutes solved the problem that fast food couldn’t — a true break in peace and quiet.

By identifying the real problem, you're able to find the real (non-food) solution.

Face the Fear of the Real Problem

Sometimes it’s scary to dig deeper and uncover what’s really bothering you. That’s why your brain often suggests reaching for the popcorn — it’s easier than facing the underlying issue. But that’s what coaches are here for: to help untangle the knots and get things straightened out.

I’ve had multiple clients who knew they truly wanted to leave their job or get a divorce — but the thought of making such significant life changes was so daunting that they avoided it by stress eating. It felt easier to continue eating and feeling terrible than to confront the fear of making a tough decision. But taking action toward what you truly want may feel messy at first, but it leads to a life that’s more aligned with who you really are.

It might get messy, but once you address the root cause of stress eating, you’ll experience a brighter, more peaceful life.

The Takeaway:

What’s the real problem under the stress? If you take away the food as a coping mechanism, what’s the real solution that would actually move you forward? What might you be trying to avoid by continuing to reach for the food? Why might it be worth it to face those bigger issues?

If you’re ready to take the first step, schedule a free discovery session with me here. Let's untangle this together.