By Melissa Cook, Nutritionist
Eating mindlessly when bored can cause short term and long term problems such as an expanding waistline, a focus on less nutritious foods and dissatisfaction, inflammation, chronic health conditions and so much more.
If you do find that boredom eating is a problem for you, I’ve put together a 3-step actionable plan that’ll assist in changing your habit of boredom eating into something more productive and rewarding.
1. IDENTIFY YOUR TRIGGERS
Knowing what triggers your boredom eating is the first step to preventing it from happening in the first place.
A lot of the time we act on impulse without thinking and sometimes, that will mean heading to the fridge or grabbing some snacks. So, identify what your triggers are that make you eat when you’re not feeling hungry.
Some common triggers include sitting down to watch TV or Netflix. Do you automatically grab a bag of chips to mindlessly munch on just because you’ve always done it?
When you get home from work, is the fridge the first place you go to so you can grab something to snack on?
When you feel flat or sad, do you reach for snack foods without even working on why you are feeling these emotions and before you know it, you have finished the entire packet and now feel even worse?
Become aware of your eating habits and write down any triggers that you may have so then you can learn how to change them.
To keep track of your eating habits, keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, your cravings, what you were doing before/during your meal or snack. I have a fantastic one that I always give to my Nutrition clients.
By maintaining a food diary, you can learn more about how you eat, acknowledge the triggers that you have and come up with ways to manage them. It might even be a wake up call to how often you mindlessly snack.
2. FIND HAPPINESS IN OTHER PLACES
When creating an action plan, it’s important to know that while food is a really popular and most often, the chosen way to reward and nourish yourself, there are plenty of other methods you can implement instead that’ll still leave you feeling refreshed and satisfied.
Find other ways that help you re-centre and satisfy yourself so you can leave the boredom eating behind.
Some popular methods include going for a walk, doing stretches or a workout if time permits.
Give yourself some downtime to read a book, start a hobby, watch your favourite show or work on a fun project just for you.
Even lighting your favourite scented candle can be a mood booster.
Find your pleasure and happiness in other ways so you’re not always reaching for food to get those happy endorphins.
3. CREATE AN ACTION PLAN
The “if and then” system is a great one to implement once you know what your triggers are and where you’ve decided to find your happiness elsewhere. By using this in your daily life, not only will you be able to identify your triggers but you’ll be able to rewire your habits so that you can create better ones that don’t involve eating out of pure boredom.
For example, if you want to change your habit of reaching for the snacks when you’ve hit that 3 pm afternoon slump to wake you up, your if/then plan can be: “if I’m feeling tired, I will then go for a quick walk outside”.
Have a backup plan in case the weather doesn’t permit it as well such as pre-planned stretches, an online yoga class or creative online work you can do at your desk.
Knowing exactly what you’re going to do and when you’ll do it will leave you without any other decisions to make in the moment (hence the backup plan of what to do if it’s raining) so that you can just jump straight into it. As a habit is so ingrained into your brain, changing these pathways is going to take effort.
It’s easy to fall into your usual habits so be warned that conscious effort and thought will be needed to rewire these behaviours.
Make it easier for yourself by having that backup plan as I mentioned or by changing your environment to remind you of these new habits you’re trying to focus on. Plants are another great way to improve the air and inside environment.
I love having my workout wear by the door so that every time I want to take a walk, go to gym or get some fresh air, it’s right there ready to go.
Put away the snacks in a closed cupboard that you always tend to gravitate to or stop buying them so they’re not in your line of sight and you’re not visually reminded of them.
Download some meditation apps or online workout videos onto your phone or laptop so that they’re ready to go when you need them.
It might take a while to rewire your pathways but your future self will thank you for it!
Having a plan is one thing and the first step to changing your habits to creating better healthier ones but as we all know, it’s easier said than done.
So here are some tips that can help you adhere to your 3-step plan to stop boredom eating until it’s something that you can do automatically...
1. USE A DISTRACTION
Sometimes, if you’re really experiencing that urge to eat even when you’re not hungry, a distraction is what you need.
Similarly to finding happiness elsewhere, find something that you can do that’ll take your mind away from eating and focused on something else. Plus, as shown by the experiment of boredom eating being done purely to break the monotony, this will get you out of your own monotonous funk so the urge will lessen.
Find yourself mindlessly tapping your fingers on the table? Try doing something with your hands like knitting or playing an instrument (not scrolling on social media).
Shaking your legs? Get up, blast your favourite music and dance.
Walking back and forth to the fridge? Get outside and go for a walk. Move away from the focus and before you know it, you’ll forget that you wanted to eat in the first place.
Another way you can do this is by creating a to-do list in advance. When you feel boredom hunger striking, start at the top of the list and tackle one item.
You’ll distract yourself from boredom eating and you’ll also get through a list of things you need to complete. What a win-win!
2. DRINK WATER
Drinking water is another way you can stop boredom eating.
Sometimes it’s the action of lifting something to our mouths itself that people crave so swap out foods for water instead.
Plus, by drinking more, you’ll be hydrated and less likely to also mistaken thirst for hunger.
3. BRUSH YOUR TEETH
If you find that you need help to stay away from the kitchen, then try brushing your teeth or gargling with mouthwash.
Brushing your teeth can send signals to your brain that it’s time to stop eating as it’s typically done at the end of the night when you’re ready to go to bed.
Also, toothpaste can make some foods taste bad so it might help curb those cravings, not to mention, you’ll have shinier, white and cleaner teeth.
4. IMPROVE YOUR MINDSET
Your mentality is everything.
By reframing boredom to something more positive, you’ll feel less inclined to boredom eat while simultaneously transforming this habit to something more rewarding.
Improving your mentality can occur in different ways, and here’s a few that we recommend giving a go.
The first is practicing gratitude. Writing a list of things you’re grateful for can be a really lovely way to bring yourself back to the present moment. It will get you out of your current state of mind, in this case, being bored with nothing to do, and remind you of all the things you’re fortunate to have.
Give yourself 5-10 minutes to write a gratitude list. There are no rules and there’s nothing that’s too big or small to include. It will assist in reframing your boredom to things you’re thankful for, turning an unfavourable emotion into a positive one. Not to mention, it’ll be a great mood booster.
Listen to motivational/inspirational podcasts. There are so many great podcasts or audiobooks available that are of the motivational or inspirational nature. Keep them handy by downloading or saving them to your phone or laptop so you can pull one out when needed. Not only will you learn something and give your mind something else to focus on, but it could give you that push you need to really stick to your plan to stop boredom eating and give you those habits that you can even apply to other aspects of your life.
Mindfulness meditation is another way to better your thinking and stop boredom eating. When you boredom eat, you typically act on impulse. When you feel the urge to do so, choosing to meditate instead can force you to stop and think. It’ll encourage you to become more attuned to your body and mind and what you really need or want, breaking that automatic cycle of compulsively reaching for food.
5. LEARN HOW TO BE OKAY WITH BEING BORED
We live in such a fast-paced world where instant gratification is the norm that it’s easy to forget what it’s like to just stop and just be.
Sometimes, being bored is okay.
You don’t have to be doing something every minute of every day. Take the time to just do nothing every once in a while.
Embrace being disconnected and having the time to relax, embrace being able to do nothing but just enjoy the present.
You’ll be doing your body and mind a huge favour!