All of us have stress. It can be from school, job, parents, children, significant others, friends. Whatever the factors are, they are there. Stress is unavoidable.

I used to cope with stress by eating. I turned to food to solve my problems.

Having a bad day? Nothing a large bag of Doritos couldn’t fix.

Mom keeps nagging? No problem. I’ve got super sized french fries to cure that.

Have a big project due and finals approaching? More reason to stuff my face.

But eating never made the stress better. It never made the stress disappear or go away. Instead, it stressed me out even more.

I had to worry about weight gain. I had to deal with the repercussions of devouring everything in sight. I had to cope with lethargy caused by gorging. I had to worry about my health. Eating a whole box of Oreos is not a wise idea when you’re pre-diabetic.

Instead of solving my problems, my attempt to eat my stress away only added more problems to my already-hectic life.

It’s taken me a long time to realize that food is not the solution.

Food was not going to help me pass my exams. Studying will help.

Food was not going to stop my mom from pointing out everything wrong with me. Communication might. Talking things out, telling another person that their words are hurtful, is more conducive to fixing a situation than eating an entire bag of chips.

Eating my problems made me passive.

I accepted my fate. I accepted that my life was a mess instead of trying to change and better it. I accepted all of my problems instead of attempting to make them better. Turning to food made me pity and despise myself because I couldn’t make my problems disappear.

Food became a crutch, but not a helpful one. It provided me with no solutions, only more problems. Stress eating only added health problems to my already long list of things to deal with. Emotional eating only fueled my negative self-image. It made me falsely believe that I was weak, that I didn’t have the ability to cope with anything. It made me doubt myself. It made me lose sight of who I am.

I am strong. I am fierce. I am capable.

But food couldn’t tell me that. Only I can. I have to demonstrate my self-worth by actively seeking solutions to my problems. I have to prove to myself that I can do it, by doing it. So instead of eating, I take action. Actions make me assertive, it makes me reach out and work for the things I want.

Money is an issue because I don’t have a job right now. But I’ve learned to budget better. I try to save as much as possible. I sell things on eBay. I buy in bulk. I don’t buy things I can’t afford. I try to not use my credit card.

My parents will always stress me out. But I think that’s their job. I’ve learned to tell them when they’re crossing the line. I’ve learned to hear beyond their words and realize that they want what’s best for me. And when they’re really out of hand, I go for a walk.

Things aren’t so bad when you take a step back and give yourself some room to breathe. Eating never gave me that period of time. The second I was annoyed, stressed, or depressed, I would eat. Food prevented me from putting things into perspective. Everything was miserable and life was horrible, when in actuality, it really wasn’t. But I never gave myself a chance to realize that because I immediately turned to food for comfort.

Now when I can’t deal with people, I go for a run. I go to the gym.

I go somewhere where I can be in full, total control. I go somewhere where I can be by myself and relax, re-focus. I go somewhere where I can clear my head and start brainstorming solutions to my problems. I go somewhere where I can relish in the fact that I am alive, that I can breathe the air around me, that I can smell, see, and touch everything.

I go somewhere that helps me realize that the world is a beautiful place.

And all of a sudden, things aren’t so bad any more.

Eating always seems like the easy way out. But in actuality, it does not solve anything. It triggers a vicious negative cycle because it helps blow things out of proportion, making you feel helpless. Eating does not allow you to step back and re-evaluate the situation. It does not allow you to play to your strengths, to demonstrate your abilities, to prove to yourself, and the world, that you are amazing.

It’s taken me a long, long time to realize that I can never eat my stress away. Ever.

I am finally at a place in my life where I can appreciate food for just being food. Food is no longer a crutch, a magical fix, a solution.

Because it was never meant to be that.

 

Where do you go to clear your thoughts? What do you do to help you find your happy place?

 

Consumption: 1495 calories, 41g of fat.

Workout: Timed mile run (8:36). Chest.

Tagged as: being assertive, dealing with problems, finding solutions, stress eating

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