Have you found yourself emotionally eating during this time of quarantine? If so you are not alone. Bikini Coaches @chrisnicole_ifbbpro and @amyehinger discuss ways to better cope with stress during this time of duress. Here are just a few of the many topics they discuss during this episode: 5 Tips for Curbing Emotional Eating

If you find yourself stress eating now or in the coming months in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, here are five tips to help you. 

1. Become more aware of your feelings, and let yourself feel them away from food. Take time each day to reflect on how you feel and whether it is leading you to crave food in an undesirable way. Ask yourself questions like: How are you feeling? When do you feel most stressed? What is most worrisome to you about your life today? How are your feelings affecting you and your experience of life right now? 

2. Recognize your triggers for emotionally-based eating. Become clear about when you will be most likely to want to eat more or less. Triggers can also be internal, like thinking about how hard it is to work from home or fighting with your partner and ruminating about your financial situation in the wake of economic struggles. Ask yourself questions like: When are you more likely to stress-eat? What circumstances make it hardest for you to control your unwanted eating behaviors? What kinds of food do you crave, and when?

3. Make conscious choices about your eating, avoiding triggers when possible. Choose deliberately what you will eat and when. Challenge yourself to cope with those negative emotions that you may be experiencing away from food. 

Ask yourself questions like: Will I feel better after eating this? Is this something I am going to regret eating, or do I actively choose to eat this? What do I need to change about my life today to help myself not experience unwanted emotional eating episodes?

4. Get social support while avoiding exposure to triggering material. Most of us are quite isolated from our typical routines, communities, and social networks right now. Yet humans are highly social beings, and social connectedness is a core way we cope with stress and hardship. We need to stay in touch with friends, family, and the broader community.

That said, watching the news is triggering for many people experiencing a crisis. So, you may need to limit exposure to the news. Ask yourself questions like: Who can I call today that will help me stay emotionally grounded? How can I help others in my life get through this? What can I do to feel more connected to my community even if I can’t interact with them in person right now?

5. Start fresh, each moment of each day. If you had a rough moment or day and did not like the way you felt or ate, start again. You can always start eating differently at this exact moment.Beating yourself up about past eating is not going to be helpful. Instead, encourage yourself to start fresh right now—without judgmental criticisms or self-deprecating sentiment—and reestablish a pattern of eating that both acknowledges the difficult emotions you may be feeling as well as encourages deliberate eating behavior that feels healthy and positive. You can find us on Instagram @preplifepodcast or @glamgirlbikini You can apply for the team by clicking the link: https://glamgirlbikini.com/glam-girl-bikini-application/