Stress is THE biggest factor in derailing our healthy eating lifestyle. Some people have convinced themselves that they have a character flaw or lack of willpower, but if you take away those misconceptions, you’ll find that at the root, it’s stress and how we respond to that stress that derails us.

Stress is inevitable. Stress is also how we grow, but even healthy stress is stressful.

So what do you do when stress hits?

Do you run for the cupboard, the fridge or the drive-thru?

Everyone has specific foods they gravitate towards, and all of us have unique triggers. They’re based on our past experiences and our comfort-food memories from childhood.

It’s important to know what causes you to get off track. It’s likely not ALL the time as that’s more related to blood sugar being off balance. Rather, there are certain “hot spots” or triggers that send you over the edge. When you can identify them, and start to get curious about them, you’ve started the process of taking back your power.

What you need to do is unravel the knee-jerk response that has you reaching for something outside of yourself, so that it doesn’t “just happen” automatically. Our brains are super fast, and make decisions instantly. These decisions have the common theme of avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. The problem is, our brains aren’t thinking about our future and how our choices impact our health. All our brains know is right now I want to feel different!

Queue angry whiny 2-year-old throwing a temper tantrum and you’ve got the idea of how the brain operates when it wants something to soothe an emotional wound (stress).

When we slow things down, we start to rewire our response and give ourselves a chance to make a different choice. When we find the “need” behind the urge or craving, then we’re really getting somewhere. When we find the (even better) way to meet that need, and BE and DO it in order to feel fulfilled on a regular basis, then we’re back in control of our eating. In this process, we find satisfaction and peace to boot. Then we have a choice and can eat our once compulsively-craved food or not, in peace. And if we do, we eat the right amount for our body and move on.

How do I know?

I know from working with clients over the past 12 years in this exact area and seeing them transform their stress-driven cravings into peace and satisfaction, like clockwork.

When you clear out all the tangles and start to unravel the pattern, you free yourself and return to a baseline that’s your natural state of being. Your natural state of being, which includes a healthy relationship with food. Period.

This fundamental change in how we relate to stress can all happen in the span of an hour session. I’ve seen it thousands of times. Humans can change these patterns. You can change these patterns. During sessions, I witness my clients have their joyful “aha” when they realize they:

• are not weak
• feel their self-esteem bubble up
• are not lacking willpower
• feel a lifelong burden has been lifted
• can easily make satisfying choices
• feel free
  

The thing that makes this all possible, is pausing, getting curious and updating old coping mechanisms. I’m the guide, but you show up, in all the vulnerability it takes to ask for help, and your healing unfolds. It’s a beautiful thing. Then, when stress hits, you’re not drawn to food, you’re magnetically drawn to solutions. Solutions that actually solve problems and reduce stress, not just numb the pain or distract for a few seconds.

Can’t imagine surviving stress without food? That’s just a sign that your brain has you hooked. That’s okay, but don’t buy into it, and please don’t let it continue.

Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy that food by choice and really and truly enjoy it? Spoiler alert, it would!

If this topic interests you, send me an email at info (at) karasorensen.com and simply say YES!. If I get enough responses, I’ll create some support to help you turn stress eating into empowered BEING. Then you can enjoy all the benefits of healthy eating and enjoy treats on your own terms.

If you can’t wait and want to start, let’s talk, I’d love to help you find your freedom! Sign up for a free discovery session at the bottom of this page.

Yours in Health,

Kara