What do you do for comfort/coping?

Squamation

I think most of us on MFP used food a lot to deal with our emotions or to cope with a situation. And probably used food as a form of comfort as well.

My question is: what do you do now?

PlantBasedGrace

Reading, going for a walk, playing with my mom's dog, or drawing/painting.

I've found that watching tv or going on the internet makes me crave comfort eating even more :P

aquarabbit

One of 2 things (instead of eating): make myself feel better or make myself feel worse so that everything seems better. I'll explain. To feel better, I watch a funny movie, talk to my family back home, dance around my house just to dance, or go for a drive. That usually makes me feel better. To be honest, making myself feel worse is slightly more productive. I deep clean (such as behind the fridge and stove, reorganize my whole closet, clean the drains, shampoo the floors), watch a movie that makes my cry (I always feel better after a good cry), or, the ultimate make myself feel worse, have a hair removal day which includes legs, arms, underarms, and full brazilian. For some crazy reason the world seems to look a whole lot brighter after that. So I guess by "making myself feel worse" I really mean distractions that need all my attention until that "darkness" passes. But these options seem to work for the majority of my down days and normal situations. Of course there are exceptions and days when I feel crappy no matter what, but for me, these work the best. I think everyone will cope differently and you just have to tinker around with a few ways to deal with emotions until you find your perfect fit.

thistimewillbedifferent

Shadowboxing class! It involves loud, violent music, the possibility to stare at hot guys, lots of cardio, and the ability to think about everything that is upsetting you as you do one punch after another after another. I actually caught myself thinking "I want to punch something" the other day instead of "I want a cocktail" or "I want nachos" -- now THAT is progress!

CantStopWontStop92

Running! Not a whole lot beats sweating your stress out to loud, obnoxious dubstep and waving at the folks driving by:) My roomate thinks I'm nuts though. Sometimes I'd get so stressed with coursework and exams that I'd drag her out to go running at 2 or 3am before hitting the books again. Beats eating though! Good thread OP

clarkeje1

talk to my boyfriend about it. sometimes I just need to vent.

granitendirt

Cry. No one has to see. Then I get over it and move on. ETA: Or if I don't get completely over it, it still helps for the time being.

Long, solitary walks work well too. Nighttime is best for this. Of course, therein lies other concerns, but like most things in life it's a trade-off.

TheVimFuego

Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Massage, Meditation.

Is what some people do.

I drink.

ApocalypticFae

I was just thinking about this topic yesterday. My comfort is my workouts - elliptical, cycling, yoga, walking my dog. I'm actually kind of in awe. Without getting into detail, I'm going through something right now that's very complicated, some might say heartbreaking, and in the past, I would have been running to the freezer every night for ice cream. But lately, I've been working out instead, and I feel stronger than ever (mentally and physically). I was also mentioning to another MFPer that I do a lot of DIY spa treatments, which is definitely comforting in its own way as well. On top of that, I throw in a couple (re: 2-4) homemade cookies to my day for good measure, and I'm about as blissed out as I can be right now considering my current situation.

CuteMonkeyGal

I used to be a really big emotional eater. Now, I take a hot bubble bath, read/watch movies, or exercise to help me relax and cope. A long bike ride or a walk are my go to exercises when I'm sad, stressed, etc.

cwolfman13

and me dealing with it...

Squamation

Thanks for all the ideas.

I'm not at the stage where exercising is a release for me, but maybe one day.