Does Stress Send You to the Refrigerator? Here's Help for that Unhealthy Habit

For many of us, unpleasant emotions such as fear and anxiety are translated into a need to eat. We may develop this habit growing up, or in a new situation such as college.

When I was at UCLA, my roommate and I used to stock up on "finals survival food," as we called our habit. We would climb into her car, head to the biggest grocery store in Westwood, and pile our grocery cart high with bags of candy, cartons of ice cream, packaged frosting-covered cupcakes, boxes of chocolate cookies, and sugary sodas to see us through the sleepless nights and nail-biting stress of finals week.

After college, that habit of using food as a way to manage stress seemed as natural as my morning requirement for a cup of coffee (or two) before I could face the rigors of getting dressed and out the door for work.

And like other unhealthy habits -- abusing alcohol, smoking, spending endless hours on the Internet rather than interact in person with others -- it's not so easy to change.

How to Conquer Stress-Induced Eating Habits

"Executives who cope well through stressful times tend to think of high stress situations as a challenge," notes Julie Barnes, PhD, who is a clinical psychologist and credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor licensed in the state of New York. If possible, see if you can reframe your own situation "as a courageous, heroic, or life-transforming challenge," to "change the way your mind and body respond to the situation. Easier said than done, but worthwhile to coach yourself in this manner."

Dr. Barnes, who has taught classes and supervised psychiatrists and psychologists in substance abuse, psychotherapy, and health psychology for more than a decade, also recommends reminding yourself "that other tough situations have come your way and you have responded to them, come through them, and likely looked back and realized that they caused great growth for you. Usually we don't stretch without some pressure or discomfort."

How to Break the Cycle

In some cases, according to Dr. Barnes, "there comes a point when stress and anxiety can accelerate to a degree that they can result in depression or simply that "rabbit-in-the-headlights" paralysis."

If that is your situation, "you must do something to break the cycle," she emphasizes. "Eating is simply a dissociation, distraction, or at best a mini-vacation but it doesn't change the situation nor assist you in being more productive nor in coping better. Like any other addiction, high fat, high sugar foods stimulate the brain's reward center, resulting in increases in certain neurochemicals like dopamine that make us feel temporarily better but that ultimately lead us to crave again."

If you're unable to control your anxiety and fear and those emotions are "constant or interfering with sleep, causing panic attacks, depression or disturbances in ability to function," Dr. Barnes recommends seeking professional help. "If psychotherapy isn't enough, medication, such as anti-depressants can augment therapy. If the situation is not that severe, exercise, especially cardio can help tremendously. So can meditation or deep relaxation training."

Techniques Used by An Expert

In her own case, Dr. Barnes has a variety of strategies to avoid overeating. "First, I try not to have terribly tempting foods in the house," she notes. "I stock sorbets, pretzels, nuts, and dried fruits for those moments. I also try to always have delicious fresh fruits and I make deals with myself, like, instead of going out for ice cream, I'll eat a bowl of grapes and cherries (for under 200 calories) and IF I am still hungry, I will buy some."

In addition, Dr. Barnes recommends "groups for behavior change." For example, she knows "creative people who have what they call an "action group". Three or more people meet on a regular basis and spend 20 minutes or more each talking about things they want to accomplish or setting goals or talking about psychological roadblocks to their projects. The group can provide support, encouragement, accountability, advice or even hard leads and jobs."

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Source: First-Person Interview with Expert Psychologist Dr. Julie Barnes by Associated Content Journalist Joanne Eglash.