How to press pause on stress eating

It’s real, it happens, and Dr. Allison can help you nip it in the bud.
Published December 29, 2020

Ever found yourself elbow-deep in a bag of chips after a particularly rough day? You’re not alone. If your eating habits seem to happen on autopilot lately, Dr. Allison has a 5-minute technique that’ll help you break the cycle.

Your day 26 guide

Top takeaways:

• The first step for getting a handle on a habit is awareness. Once you know you’re doing it, you can change your response.

• Give yourself a 5-minute pause.. Set a timer for 5 minutes and do something—anything—else.

• After 5 minutes, check in with yourself. Is there something else you could do to bring your stress level down?

• If you still want to eat, have a snack. You’ve already become more mindful and disrupted your regular habit. Next time, you might find that the urge to automatically eat has shifted a bit.