Practice Mindful Eating to Manage Feelings of Boredom

Boredom is similar to mental fatigue and is caused by a lack of interest in the details of the task at hand. Moreover, any experience that is highly predictable or repetitive in nature can quickly become boring for some people. Since the same area of your brain interprets signals for both hunger and thirst, countless people confuse symptoms of dehydration with signs of hunger.

A series of studies indicate that boredom leads to unhealthy eating, as it helps to distract from the unpleasant experience. Being able to enjoy time alone with your thoughts is a rare skill and somewhat contrary to today’s lifestyle. So, having pre-measured healthy snacks available is prudent and, if you are having problems with boredom eating, watch the portion sizes.

Junk foods are often associated with feelings of enjoyment…

Make sure you are not just eating things because they are there. Most of us live too close to our food environment. Try one of the alternative strategies discussed below:

• Practice Mindful Eating – If you exercise the discipline to be present for what you are doing, you will have a better appreciation for the food you consume. The next time you decide to have a snack, take the time to savor every bite.
• Plan Your Snacks – Apply different cooking methods and seasonings to enhance the flavor of your snacks. It will enable you to enjoy nutrient-dense foods and even eat the same things routinely while boosting your senses.
• Get Plenty of Rest – Sleep disturbances mess with your hormones, especially leptin (fullness) and ghrelin (hunger) but going to bed earlier as well as a short afternoon nap can help to quell unwanted food cravings.
• Move, Move, & Move – Boredom eating can be triggered by a host of negative emotions. However, it also leads to unconscious overeating. Before you give in to a sudden food craving, get up and move. Take a short walk, make up your bed, but do something to change up your brain chemistry.

Overeating is overeating regardless of the reason…

Whatever emotions cause you to overeat, the end result is often the same. For instance, when you’re stewing over a conflict, you might knowingly turn to comfort food, but when you’re bored, you can impulsively give way to food cravings. When you are bored, you may have an empty feeling with a lack of interest in what is happening around you.

Sometimes, it is better to disconnect, take a break, review your intentions, and carve out some time just to daydream. Boredom is not pleasant and create feelings of frustration that can lead to anger. Although it can trigger creative thinking, it also can influence negative behaviors, such as a false sense of hunger that leads to overeating.

Staying busy and staying positive in the moment are great ways to combat the ill-effects of boredom eating. At Metabolic Research Center, we have over thirty years of experience in helping clients manage the emotional side of food consumption.