50 ways to soothe yourself without food : mindfulness practices for finding relief, comfort, and calm

Food has the power to temporarily alleviate stress and sadness, enhance joy, and bring us comfort when we need it most. It's no wonder experts estimate that 75 percent of overeating is triggered by our emotions, not physical hunger. The good news is you can instead soothe yourself through dozens of mindful activities that are healthy for both body and mind. Susan Albers, author of Eating Mindfully , now offers 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food , a collection of mindfulness skills and practices for relaxing the body in times of stress and ending your dependence on eating as a means of coping with difficult emotions. You'll not only discover easy ways to soothe urges to overeat, you'll also learn how to differentiate emotion-driven hunger from healthy hunger. Reach for this book instead of the refrigerator next time you feel the urge to snack-these alternatives are just as satisfying! Why is eating so soothing? How to get started Mindful meditation techniques Creating mindful moments The practice of meditating Breathe your way to inner calm Strengthen your endurance to counter stress eating Letting go Setting the inner critic straight Calmness, be right here, right now Mindful spiritual moments Virtual bliss Ending hide-and-seek feelings Change your thoughts, change your eating Journaling to boost your mental health immunity Ha-ha moments When you feel empty, choose feeling that your glass is half full Worry mindfully Zone out mindfully The Scarlett O'Hara approach Finding your security blanket Soothing affirmations From Ms. Perfectionist to Ms. Realistic Soothing sensations to calm and relax the body Pampering your senses Soothing scents to rejuvenate yourself Yoga 101 Sweating at the gym Sleep on it Soak away the stress Cleaning out the urge to eat Turn off the carnival in your head Self-hypnosis Be your own masseuse Soothing yourself with distractions Emotional Band-Aids Shop, drop, and roll Brain candy Knit it out make a bucket list Crafty ways to self-soothe Exploring Cyberspace Meditative music Weeding out the urge to eat Mini mental challenges Soothing yourself with social relationships The buddy system Join the Blogosphere Helpful ways to vent When you are all alone with a quart of ice cream Your furry friend and unconditional love Stepping into someone else's shoes Blockers for boredom eating Healing touch Volunteer yourself Connecting even when you want to crawl under the covers Soothing emergency help.

Food has the power to temporarily alleviate stress and sadness, enhance joy, and bring us comfort when we need it most. It's no wonder experts estimate that 75 percent of overeating is triggered by our emotions, not physical hunger. The good news is you can instead soothe yourself through dozens of mindful activities that are healthy for both body and mind.

Susan Albers, author of Eating Mindfully, now offers 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, a collection of mindfulness skills and practices for relaxing the body in times of stress and ending your dependence on eating as a means of coping with difficult emotions. You'll not only discover easy ways to soothe urges to overeat, you'll also learn how to differentiate emotion-driven hunger from healthy hunger. Reach for this book instead of the refrigerator next time you feel the urge to snack-these alternatives are just as satisfying!

In 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, Susan Albers, eating disorder specialist and best-selling author of Eating Mindfully, presents fifty exercises readers can do to soothe themselves, calm stress, and end emotional eating. Describes fifty mindfulness skills and practices designed to help people avoid using food to comfort themselves in times of stress, and includes tips on how to learn the difference between emotion-driven and healthy hunger