Written by: Jasmine Kelly-Stephens, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The life of a female entrepreneur can be very stressful. It oftentimes includes long exhausting workdays, lack of restorative sleep and rest, inadequate movement, caregiving duties; and if that’s not enough, boredom and anxious thoughts often kick in. Stress is an integral factor of health. It helps you cope and it keeps you safe. It is very useful in small amounts and may even motivate you to perform better. However, the body is not designed for a constant flow of stress.
A chronic state of stress causes the nervous system to be on constant alert making everything feel like a threat. Consequently, causing imbalances in your body and brain chemistry, which causes your problem-solving abilities to be out of synch, which affects your productivity as a business owner in the long run. Ongoing stress also impacts the body by causing chronic inflammation, which is known for causing weight gain, hormone imbalances, poor gut health, and an increased risk of more serious diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems; not to mention guilt, shame, and isolation.
The longer you continue in the stressful period, the more ingrained it becomes and the more your body produces the stress hormone, cortisol, which increases the chance of dysregulation in your hunger, thereby causing a cycle of emotional eating to play out. Unfortunately, this habit often leads to the consumption of unhealthy convenience and sugary foods as the automatic coping mechanism. It has become a tool for distraction and an emotional relief. I know this because I’ve been there more times than I’d like to recount. In fact, 27% of adults not only admit to turning to food to deal with stress, but also to it becoming a habit. As humans, we are conditioned to reach for whatever helps us deal with strong feelings and that something is often food.
It’s a vicious spiral that once entered can be difficult to escape, but fortunately, there ARE ways to escape periods of stress and emotional eating. Keeping in mind that managing your stress eating is a process, here are three things you can get started on right away to help you manage stress eating like the CEO you are:
Get to know your stressors
I know it may be easier to avoid rather than tackling your discomfort or uncomfortable emotions head on. But the truth is, the best way to make progress against the damaging habits of stress-eating is by identifying your stressors. This requires you to be mindful and learn how to stay connected to your emotional experience. For example, just taking the time to be honest with yourself and writing down when you feel overwhelmed by thoughts of over-eating, or when you automatically turn to food for comfort can be a great place to begin.
When it comes to emotional eating, it is usually helpful to break down and unpack your cognitive process. This means investigating your current habits and analyzing them. Once you’ve identified the root causes, you can now work on minimizing the risks that they will happen to you again. For instance, if you know that a stressful day always leads you back to the kitchen late at night when you should be in bed, focus on adequately nourishing your body during the day. It can be helpful to always carry food with you so that you never feel deprived and you continue to nurture yourself. Emotional eating can be your body’s reaction to feeling deprived in either a physical or mental form, so it helps to create new ways to nourish yourself. Stock your fridge with delicious, healthy foods, add exciting activities to your calendar, and be disciplined about setting aside time for yourself to relax.
Even with your best efforts, you might find that the urge to eat late at night still kicks in. In this case you could call a friend or write in your journal instead. Diverting your energy to alternative outlets makes it easier to ignore the craving to over-indulge. After doing all this work, you may still want to comfort yourself with food. To that I say, give yourself permission to comfort yourself with food. It’s not about perfection. It’s about taking those baby steps and learning what really nourishes you. The more you practice the more you will eventually find non-food ways to meet your emotional needs; so be compassionate and gentle with yourself.
Support your body with healthy lifestyle habits
Since stress-eating is an emotionally charged habit, simply changing what you eat will not get to the bottom of the issue. To enjoy a healthy relationship with food, you must also have a healthy relationship with all other aspects of your life.
One of the first things to look at is your body’s physical strength. When your body is physically strong, you are better able to handle whatever life inevitably throws your way. Incorporating healthy habits such as exercise, a powerful stress reliever, can help you get through difficult times without turning to food. Be proactive with your movement. In other words, don’t just use exercise to ward off emotional eating. Instead incorporate periods of intentional moderate movement throughout the day, which can in turn distract you from emotionally eating. Exercise can also improve your mental strength, concentration, memory, and creativity.
You will also benefit from taking time for rest and relaxation. This includes getting adequate restorative sleep, which helps control appetite and reduce food cravings. Giving yourself permission to unplug, decompress and soothe yourself, is vital for avoiding the automatic reaction of emotional eating.
Get clear on your personal values
You can’t always control everything in your life, but if you are clear on your personal values and purpose in life, it helps keep you centered and brings meaning to your life. It will act as a beacon during tough/stressful times and keep you focused on what matters most to you. This way, you are better able to manage your reactions and your choices even during difficult situations. Being mindful of any relationships that cause you stress and assessing your personal boundaries can help you reset your own stress response, so you don’t find yourself at the mercy of others or your difficulties.
If for some reason you feel a disconnection from your purpose and everything in your life just feels like one big chore, do not lose hope or faith. Continue to lead with compassion and curiosity, and when emotions do surface, just know it’s an indication that something is out of balance. Here lies another opportunity to course correct while building more purpose and meaning to your life.
As an entrepreneur stress is an everyday reality. But just like building a successful business takes time, so it is with managing stress; it’s a process. It’s not about eliminating stress and it’s not a battle that can be fought once, and never again. Instead, it’s a series of decisions made repeatedly, meal after meal, and hunger cue after hunger cue. As you learn to balance your responses to these cues and maintain awareness surrounding your tendencies and habits, it might be helpful to acknowledge that stress eating has served many purposes in your life and may have even been a blessing in disguise. Be gentle with yourself especially when you feel resistance to doing the work required. Yes, you may slip up from time to time, but keep going, stay the course, get professional help if your need it, and applaud yourself for the willingness and courage to make changes.
Jasmine Kelly-Stephens, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jasmine, a remarkable Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, embraces numerous roles, from being a devoted mother and wife to taking on leadership positions in her church ministries. Additionally, she's achieved remarkable success, co-authoring two Amazon 1 Best-Selling books, and becoming a 1 International best-seller.
Jasmine's journey is deeply personal, characterized by a struggle that has spanned several decades with emotional eating, overeating, and stress eating. This unique history ignites her profound passion to combat the emotional eating crisis and guide women toward healing, restoration, and liberation. Her central mission is to empower women to break free from the burdens of shame and guilt tied to emotional eating. Through this transformation, they can mend their relationship with food and their bodies, subsequently regaining the energy, freedom, and confidence required to fulfill their divine callings in the Kingdom.
Jasmine firmly believes that as women experience healing, its positive ripples extend outward, fostering healthier relationships within their families and communities, ultimately facilitating a transformative impact for all.
She offers private coaching to Christian women entrepreneurs but is also passionate about spreading this transformation to anyone willing to listen.
