Hi ,

I had a Chiropractor's apt. this morning to fix my neck. I've had a pinched nerve for several weeks now. I went to start my car and found it wouldn't start. So I called AAA and they came out and tested my battery. Turns out it wasn't my battery, I need a new alternator put in. 

As I write this, I'm waiting for the tow truck to pick up my car and take it to the car repair shop. This wasn't exactly how I planned to spend my day. The old me used to get really bent out of shape when things like this happened. I would usually say "screw it" and use it as an excuse to indulge in ice cream and whatever else I had on hand. 

The first thing I did was to tell myself it could be much worse. Yesterday was my birthday and I went out for a drive in a remote area. I could have gotten stuck out there. Thank God my car konked out at home! I'm also thankful for AAA. It's a godsend in these situations. 

I got some money for my birthday! Well, guess where it's going? I was a little bummed that I have to now spend it to fix the car but then again, I reminded myself, I have money to fix the car. 

I then asked myself< How  could still make this a great day?" So I decided to sit down and write this article while I wait for the tow truck. The day isn't shot, it's just been rerouted. 

How about you? Do you get bent out shape and eat when life sends curve balls your way? Do things you have no control over stress you out? Do you get anxious when things don't go according to plan?

Stress and anxiety are big triggers for overeating. Most people use these terms interchangeably but stress and anxiety are two different things. 

Stress is a normal response of the body to some type of change, demand, or threat. The response can have a physical, emotional, or mental component. People respond to stress in an individual manner. For some it may be a knot in the stomach or a racing heartbeat. For others, it may be anger or emotional upset over stressful events. 

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or nervousness about events in the future. You may be worried about your income, health, job, or an upcoming test.

Stress is more of an external reaction to outside stressors. Anxiety, on the other hand, is more internal. It is how you react to stressors. 

Anxiety tends to be more of an excessive reaction to external events. If something that is relatively minor sends you into a tailspin, anxiety is probably the cause. 

Anxiety causes feelings of dread and fear of things that haven’t happened or don’t exist. You get a headache and now you're afraid you have a brain tumor. That's anxiety!

Mindfulness is helpful for both of these conditions. One of the most important things I learned from 12 step programs is "One day at a time." Sometimes I have to break this down to one moment or one hour at a time. This keeps me from being overwhelmed by life. 

Everything is manageable when you stay focused in the present. We stress ourselves out when we start fast forwarding to the future. "What's going to happen if _________?" 

Fear of the unknown drives anxiety. When you accept that all of life is uncertain, there are no guaranteed outcomes, you can take it one day at a time and allow life to unfold. Trying to force outcomes is like trying to flow upstream. Life is easier when you flow with events instead of fight them. 

This is also true of setbacks and relapses of emotional eating. Instead of lamenting your past behavior, view it as a learning experience. Each experience of overeating has a lot of information there for you to learn from. 

What feelings drove the episode? What did you really need at that moment? What could you do differently next time? 

If anxiety or stress was part of the situation, do you have effective tools to handle those states? If not, it may be time to learn stress and anxiety management skills to cope better with life.