How To Stop Eating Out Of Boredom? 10 Tips To Avoid It

Why do we turn to food when we are bored? What can we do to deal with eating out of boredom? Discover the keys to avoid this bad habit.

How to stop eating out of boredom? 10 Tips to avoid it

Eating when you are bored implies that we are resorting to a compulsive action to calm certain feelings of apathy. In fact, unlike emotional eating, these types of actions usually occur when people face emptiness or numbness. To the eat more out of boredom the more we maintain the static feeling of disconnection.

How to stop eating out of boredom?

There are things that will definitely not help you get through this situation. For example, restrict your diet. This is due to eat out of boredom It’s not really about feeling or experiencing boredom. In reality, in many cases it is simply a compulsive action to try to calm the feeling of emptiness or apathy that we may feel when we are bored. Taking this into account, some tips that we can follow to deal with boredom and anxiety are the following:

  1. Find the main emotion: In many cases, the root cause of boredom eating It is an unwanted primary emotion. It is very likely that, if you are eating out of boredom, there is a negative emotion that drives this act.
  2. Eat paying more attention: Try to become more aware of what you do at every moment. That is, be more attentive and focused on the present moment. Eating more mindfully means being aware of your mental states and how you feel physically when relating to food. In fact, research shows that mindfulness is especially useful in helping people reduce their intake in response to emotions such as boredom
  3. Understand your hunger signals: Sometimes we may believe we are hungry, but in reality we just want eat out of boredom In fact, there are many signs that can let us know if we are hungry. For example, when our body is physically hungry and needs calories for energy, you may notice signs such as stomach rumbling, headache, and feeling fatigued. On the other hand, when it comes to boredom, if you drink a glass of water, you may no longer feel hungry.
  4. Accept boredom: With the pace we have in today’s society, it is completely normal for us to attribute negativity to boredom. But, in reality, there are benefits behind a moment of calm and tranquility. For example, it can help us foster our creativity and above all reflect on our life and current state.
  5. Take it easy: Don’t beat yourself up if at any time you resort to food when you are experiencing boredom When this happens, don’t take it as a failure. Instead, use it as a learning experience and an opportunity to understand and treat yourself with greater understanding. Keys to stop eating out of boredom
  6. Know your triggers: It is very likely that there are some triggers that can cause you to end up experiencing hunger out of boredom Identifying these signs can help you break the habit. Some of the factors that most affect stress hunger are stress and having food available to us. To understand what motivates you to eat when you are bored/a good system is precisely to write down our cravings in a diary, as well as what we were feeling at that moment and what we were thinking.
  7. Avoid eating in front of a screen: Eating in front of a screen while we are bored can cause us to overeat when we are not even hungry. Many people turn to activities such as watching television or looking at certain social networks when they feel bored.
  8. Change place or activity: A small gesture, like changing places, will help you forget about food when you are bored. That is, when you believe that you hunger is due to boredom, a good way to fight the urge to snack is to simply get up and move around, even if it’s from one room to another. This is effective, since it is enough of a gesture to distract our mind from food until boredom passes.
  9. Go for a walk: If you feel bored, taking a walk will not only distract you from the urge to snack, but it will also physically distance you from different food temptations. A twenty-minute walk is enough for you to refocus and forget about the desire to snack out of boredom
  10. Create new habits: Instead of snacking, try to take advantage of the boredom to try new things That is, try to think about what you would like to try and try it. For example, you can start reading a book or practice an art like painting or writing. That is, try to make boredom stimulate you to do things that are meaningful to you.
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Eating out of boredom It does not mean that you are facing a psychological problem. But, if this bad habit is affecting you emotionally and your self-esteem, it is vital that you start trying to change it through small steps. If you feel like you can’t cope, we recommend the help of a mental health professional. Don’t let your emotions control your life and your habits.