Binge eating and stress eating are the same thing. You cannot binge eat without also being stressed.

NB It is more helpful to rename binge eating as stress eating.

Lockdown has created stress for all of us. Nobody has eaten perfectly, and that is OK. 

So now let's move ahead, proactive and aiming to minimise stress and chaotic eating.

Three Ways To Manage Stress

First of all, Cavebrain gifted every one of us with a Feelgood Factory in the brain: we produce neurochemicals whenever we do something that Cavebrain considers good for our survival, e.g. oxytocin when we clap for the NHS or work for a charitable cause, serotonin when we eat a nutritious meal or get promoted at work, endorphins when we exercise.

This means we can fire up our Feelgood Factory multiple times a day to create more happy moments

Second of all, Cavebrain has 3 inbuilt responses to stress: fight, flight, and freeze. In the 21st century, we have to be intentional about using the fight and flight responses to stress.

This means that if we focus on responses that make CB think it is fighting or fleeing any stress, you can release that stress faster.

eg The primitive Getaway, one the Cravings Busters in my Freedom From Sugar course. Here you do a very short burst of intense activity eg running, punching a pillow, bouncing a ball HARD

THIRD OF ALL

There is alot we can do to avoid feeling so stressed in the first place. For example, ration news to say once a day.

Discussion: What else works to minimise stress?

Try the Energy Breath

Resources

Activate Your Vagus Nerve - Dr Navaz Habib

Has some great practical strategies that you will not have heard anywhere else to destress.

The Language of Emotions - Karla McLaren

An amazing book that decodes all the hard emotions and allows you to be Ok with feeling rage, panic etc - and then allows you to process them. Also includes a powerful chapter ('Unintentional Shamans') on the topic of trauma processing that changed my life. 

Dodging Energy Vampires - Dr Christiane Northrup

One of the most important books that I, as an empath, have ever read. It is my toxic person detector kit.

“When we dim our light to make others feel more comfortable, the whole world gets darker.”

Turning bad days into good data: A great video . 30 minutes long , but worth the watch!

Important

Reducing chaotic eating and stress eating generally requires longer term work. There are almost always deep underlying issues that are creating long term stress that is often invisible.

Action Steps

Create 2 lists of stress triggers and responses as in the examples below