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How To Stop Eating When Bored

Mar 09, 2022
boredom eating watching tv

Do you feel like boredom eating is making you gain weight?

 

Sometimes the easiest way out of boredom is food. It's easier to grab some delicious cookies than to dive into a creative hobby or call a friend.

 

Food gives us that instant satisfaction, that dopamine hit we're all seeking. I used to love getting lost in a binge fuelled by boredom. It would always be accompanied by my latest Netflix show. I don't think I ever binged without also watching TV at the same time.

 

And if everything else is in balance, adding in those boredom binges will make you gain weight. If that's something you're not seeking, it can feel pretty frustrating.

 

Let's tackle the issue at the root: addressing eating out of boredom, instead of focusing on weight loss first.

 

Let me share some tips on how to stop boredom eating. By the way, for more detail on this be sure to check out my FREE 30-minute masterclass on How To Stop Bingeing When Bored, Stress, Tired or Sad.

 

 

1. BE OK WITH NOTHINGNESS

If you struggle with boredom often, it might be time to learn to be OK with nothingness. We live in a world where we are constantly stimulated. Even the tiniest sliver of time where we are idle or without a screen entertaining us can feel boring. Maybe it's time to do a dopamine-reset.

 

To relearn the art of being ok with doing less. I'd check out Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke to help with that!

 

2. FACE THE FEELING

Oftentimes, as soon as we feel an uncomfortable feeling, we run from it. We do anything to distract and numb. But I challenge you to feel into that emotion of boredom. Not to get sucked into it but to give it a moment to be heard and honoured. Instead of just running to food the moment boredom pops up.

 

Give yourself 90 seconds to let it exist as you observe. Notice how it feels in your body.

 

Ask yourself whether there's anything you need right now...how can you love yourself more in this moment? I actually have a 5-step process to coping with difficult emotions in this free video - it's a client favourite!

 

3. ENRICH YOUR LIFE

I know I can get stuck in this monotonous loop sometimes of work-watch tv while eating-sleep-repeat.

 

As mentioned earlier, it's the easiest thing to do. But it's not the most rewarding - it can get boring real fast. So if you're eating out of boredom often, it might be time to enrich your life! Add a little bit of spice!

 

Think about how you'd love to be spending your evenings and spare time. How do you want to fill those little moments in the day when you usually go for an unnecessary boredom snack? Start making small steps towards making life more fulfilling.

 

4. BREAK THE HABIT

Sometimes the boredom eating isn't really out of boredom, it's just habit. You've repeated this process of 'I have nothing to do right now so I'll grab a snack to fill the time' so much that it's habit. It's just what you do.

 

Great news is you can change this habit with a bit of awareness, intention and consistency. I highly recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear to help with that!

  

There you have it - 4 actionable steps towards eating out of boredom less often. Less boredom eating = less unnecessary weight gain from boredom eating.

 

As always, if you need help with any of this - I've got this freebie here to get you started.

 

With Love,

Bríd

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