Stop Boredom Eating For Good with Eating Mindfully

Have you ever eaten out of boredom?

Boredom is one of the many reasons for mindless eating. So, when you are bored you treat yourself to a large dessert to make yourself feel better.

The irony is that eating out of boredom is generally pointless -- boredom is still there when you are done with your dessert. And next time to fight it you might need a bigger one. 

The end result we all know well – extra calories consumed when we are not physically hungry are stored as body fat. Now you are not only bored, you are also mad and stressed out because of this new problem – extra weight.

How to stop boredom eating with mindful eating:

Start by checking within your body to investigate if you are actually hungry and ask yourself, Am I hungry for food?

Before you can stop eating out of boredom, you need to be able to tell the difference between true hunger and emotional hunger.

Listen to your body cues. Physical signs that you are hungry include “growling” and/or hunger pangs in your stomach, lightheadedness, a hard time staying focused, and/or feeling cranky. It will come on gradually, any food will satisfy you and you will stop eating once you are full. You won't feel guilty afterward.

If you are craving food out of boredom most probably you do not have physical but emotional hunger. It causes cravings for particular foods, comes on suddenly and often causes you to eat more than you normally would, leaving you feeling guilty afterwards.

Replace boredom eating habit -- redirect your attention 

If you're craving food because you are feeling bored, remember eating is only one of a thousand things you can do when you're bored. 

Figure out which times of the day you are most likely to eat out of boredom and come up with other things you can do at these times instead of eating. 

Try to break that self-destructive habit by replacing it with a healthier one. 

Make a list of activities that soothe you before you need them and start doing them on a regular basis.

Write down both simple and more complicated ideas; be sure to include a few that don’t require any preparation or equipment. You may have different ideas for home, work, and other settings. Add new activities to your list as you think of them.

Having a variety of ideas ensures that you’ll come up with something that fits your mood or situation. That will help you build a new healthy habit of using other ways to soothe yourself besides eating.

Keep your list (and any necessary supplies) handy and make a commitment to try one redirection activity before eating simply out of habit. 

If discomfort arises from boredom, we can challenge the mind that says, “There’s nothing going on, ” by : 

• reading a good book,
• watching a comedy show,
• exploring the outdoors,
• calling a friend
• turning to an activity you enjoy (woodworking, knitting, painting, playing the guitar, shooting hoops, scrap booking, etc.)
• sipping a cup of tea slowly, aware of changes in temperature and flavor.

Start small. Small things can make a big difference. When you are fully present, when boredom is replaced by curiosity, our discontent can dissolve and be replaced by satisfaction and ease.

Remember, you are redirecting your attention away from food because you don’t need it yet, not because you’re depriving yourself. Remind yourself that you’ll eat when you’re hungry.

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