We all like to pretend like it does not happen, but it does. We all have it. That moment of weakness; that time when the bad parts of the day have snowballed upon us. The moment when, instead of dealing with our issues in a manner befitting the reasonable adult that you know that you truly are, you grab the nearest sweet, or salty, snack and cram it into your mouth. You know that you should not have done it, and you know that you will feel better later on, but none of that really matters. After all, right now, the treat is soothing your bad day and making you feel better. It gives you a soothing that your fragile nerves needed at that very moment.

It is the effect of comfort eating, and most of us have done it at one point or another in our lives. Anyone who will tell you that they have not done that at any point in their lives is either lying, or does something much worse to themselves to feel better.

So, lets talk about some of the things that you can do to help keep from doing too much damage to yourself when you eat for comfort and reduce the chances that you will do it again in the future.

Plan for Stress

Planning for the stressful times in your life can sometime be done. You will probably have a good idea of when things get busy at your job. You know that things are going to be harder around the holidays, and you can plan for those times. Find other ways to sooth your stress during these times. Some of your non-food options include things such as:

• Enjoying a mix of your favorite songs on the radio.
• Getting out with your friends for a short break.
• Hitting the gym for your favorite exercises, such as the pool or a good run.
• Enjoy a lusty romp with your significant other. (At the proper time and place of course)

The bottom line is to do what you want to make yourself happy without putting a piece of food in your mouth to make yourself feel better.

Limit Your Access

To a certain extent keeping your junk foods in the house, in your office or your car is asking for trouble. You can’t shut down every convenience store in the world, but you can keep things out of your hands right away. This gives you two things, a chance to think again before you shove food in your mouth to feel better, and a chance to use one of your other options for feeling better about your life issues at the moment. Now honestly, it will not be a 100% success rate, so you have to still be ready for some backslide, if this is a common pattern in your life. It is however a chance for you to gain your composure back and try a new method of feeling better.