I have yet to learn how to do this. Right now I'm in a little over my head and just have that hopeless feeling.

Does anyone have any good coping strategies they've learned that help them with stress when food just seems like an easy escape? I know that sounds so cliche but I think many of us have been there.

So.. anything?

Run.

Kickbox.

Lift something heavy.

Run some more.

It's head clearing to exercise. It gets out nervous energy. And it releases endorphins that make you feel better. Sweaty, intense workouts are best, for me.

i love bubble baths, home pedicures, just taking a moment to regroup and clear your head! you'll get it eventually, i'm sure it's something we all have to work on for the rest of our lives.

mandalinn82: That's a really good suggestion and it's definitely something I've done in the past. But right now, I just feel entirely drained of energy. Just absolutely beat. I don't know if it's because I'm sick (just a head cold) or if I'm overwhelmed, but working out is just the furthest thing from my mind. I think I will make myself go clean in about a half hour, and hopefully that'll get the blood flowing and encourage me to work out.

Aubrey87: I sooo wish I could do the bubble bath thing, but we have a stand-up shower, sadly! I hate painting my nails (such a hassle) but I totally get the whole "pampering yourself" thing. Need to give that a try.

Thanks for the suggestions.

This may sound a bit stupid, but I re-discovered crying.

Watching a sappy movie, crocheting, and of course go take a nap! A lot of times when I find myself hungry late at night I just go to bed

I've gotten a lot more sleep like this lol.

Cleaning. Straightening. Organizing.

It's a great way to keep busy and it actually accomplishes something good and it is immediate gratification.

I have to agree with mandalinn82.

I have been under a terrible amount of stress these past few months of not knowing if I would have a job or not at the end of August. If it had not been for my exercising I don't know what I would have done. I helps me in a way that at least I am in control of how much and how long I exercise. The other seems out of my control. I sleep better and don't gripe as much.
This past weekend I skipped 4 days of not exercising and boy could I tell. So I jumped right back into it and have exercised the past 2 days in a row.

What ever you decide to do I hope that it all works out for you.

Leann

Hi Jkb, I find "running" to the comp. and visiting this (or other forums - ahem! sorry!) takes my mind off pressing angsts. Or having a chat with my daughter, we usually end up having a good giggle about something. Exercise is out for me being a disabled person. Also I have Paul McKenna's book which contains a CD and I find listening to that very relaxing and often fall off to sleep listening to it.

Not really, I have some stress in my life and don't deal with it all that well.

But as far as avoiding stress-eating goes, I do remind myself that eating food isn't going to make the stressful situation any better.

If it's just a matter of distracting myself to escape for a while, there are plenty of other ways to do that. Watching a movie, sorting my music or getting new music, taking a walk, etc. etc. None of these things is any more effective at easing the stressor than eating is, but at least they don't involve eating.

Hello,

I grab a big thick book, usually sci-fi or fantasy and read......if you don't have time to do that and need to destress quickly here is a meditation exercise i do:

Sit or lay down (I have done this in the bathroom at work thought not laying down :-D )
close your eyes, let your arms and legs relax into a natural position.
inhale for 5 seconds imagining that you are inhaling peace and calm
hold for 5 seconds
exhale for 5 seconds imagining stress exiting your body
at first your mind may race but concentrate on the counting, it helps keep you focused

something more fun to do is to crank the music and dance around the house!!

Emaline, I'm glad you mentioned the Paul McKenna book. I'd heard about it a year or so ago, but then forgot all about him. I know of one person who found his book and tape to be very helpful.

I can kind of relate to your situation a little bit because I have some physical situations that impede my ability to get strenuous exercise. It's too long to go into now, but it's made me very humble. And it makes me so annoyed with myself for not being more diligent with exercise when I was 100% able to do so.

As for stress:
Being with compatible people, friends or family, is a tonic to me. And it's even better when we have a good, long belly laugh about something. I think I can really feel the stress lift.

YOGA! YOGA! YOGA! Its one of my favorite ways to destress! Even simple stretching exercises and focusing on breathing works. Meditation clears the mind as well.

I also second the person who said crying! I had a terrible day today and I let the tears flow instead of holding them back and I felt so much better.

Try and watch a comedy, laughter is always the best medicine!!!!

I hope that you feel better! Everyone has given good ideas so far!

Crying....a sappy movie will always get me crying and release some frustration.

Yoga....taking time to relax and focus only on my body and breathing.

Cleaning....I fire up some up-beat music and clean or organize. It often helps when it feels like everything is spinning out of control. I can control how clean my toilet is!

I go for a walk. It starts out more often like a stomp It gives me a chance to just sort out the relevant stuff. I'm 48 and I just have a mental "KEEP" pile and a "DISCARD" pile. It's like triage. You just learn to focus on the stuff that really matters and don't worry yourself with the trivial stuff - ESPECIALLY the things which you have no control over and can do nothing about (like other people's problems). Overall I think doing something physical is the key to managing stress - and if it's something you somewhat enjoy it can be very effective