What do you do when you're upset?

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lieajane
lieajane Posts: 78 Member
edited April 2015 in Motivation and Support
With all the threads about emotional eating, I thought it might be helpful if we had a place where people put their go-to strategies for NOT eating their feelings.
I still haven't quite worked mine out so I tend to wallow - though there are have been days where I just didn't have the strength to NOT eat.

When I'm upset I'd very much like to go to the gym and punch a heavy bag until one of us breaks, or set a treadmill as high as I can and just run and run - but my gym doesn't have a combat area and I'm not really supposed to run.

I'm considering setting myself a little punching room up in my shed, with a heavy bag and some gloves so I can beat it up till my heart's content.

Love to hear your ideas. :)

Replies

  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
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    I like your ideas for positive outlets!

    I don't often feel that down, but when I do I like to just vent in my diary, and then just spend the day chilling in my room listening to my favourite music until I feel better (and probably cry a bit haha). I don't really turn to comfort food, mostly because I can't be bothered to go out and buy any junk.
  • hyIianprincess
    hyIianprincess Posts: 302 Member
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    Next to being anxious, being upset is the second biggest trigger to binge eating for me. Usually I'll go for a walk but if I'm not able to do that, I'll take a hot bath and just try and decompress. Do my hair, do my nails. Anything to distract myself. I'm not supposed to do heavy impact activities so hitting things or running a lot is out of the question for me.

    OH! and sometimes I'll play my violin. I find I play the best when I'm upset. I get so lost in the music. :#
  • TerriK14
    TerriK14 Posts: 75 Member
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    I have a lot of stress and get upset at times and for me it use to be grab something to eat! Then I realized if I just go sit in a quiet room and close my eyes and breath in through the nose and out through the mouth( they call it smell the flowers, blow out the candle), this was taught to me by a caregiver for my mother-in-law. It helps! Also if weather permits I take a brisk walk or sometimes slow and enjoy the sites along the way. Yard work and gardening is a go to place for me in the spring and summer it totally relaxes me. Working out helps too.
  • itslaurieann
    itslaurieann Posts: 4 Member
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    Honestly, I just like to pamper myself when I'm upset. You know, paint my nails, take a nice hot bath, or deep condition my hair.. things like that. Also, I don't really know why, but I'll sort of crave washing my face and getting it really smooth and soft. I couldn't tell you what causes that, but it always makes me feel calmer. I also like to clean my room sometimes and make it nice so that I can light a few scented candles and listen to my music. I pretty much just make some "me-time" a priority so that I can simmer down from whatever it is that upset me.
  • KitKate89
    KitKate89 Posts: 7
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    Controlling my binge eating has been a battle for me but I'm finally in a much better place with it. For starters, I generally don't keep junk food in the house, so if I feel a binge coming on I actually have to go buy the necessary binge supplies (in my case usually a combination of two full-size bags of chips, a box of some sort of candy like dots or nerds, a pint of ice cream, and a snickers bar).
    When I get the urge I try a few different tactics: first, I try playing my piano or guitar; next I might try a video game; i take the dog for a walk; find something to deep-clean with some music jamming. If after all that i still want the junk, I make myself get dressed for the gym if I haven't already done a workout - I've found that sometimes just hitting the elliptical or weight room for 30 minutes will kick the craving.
    After all is said and done, 90% of the time I no longer want to binge... And quite honestly if I do, I accept it beforehand. I tell myself "I am making this choice, I will not beat myself up over it and I will neither fat-shame nor guilt-trip myself afterwards." And on the way back from the gym I make a stop
  • Fizzgig168
    Fizzgig168 Posts: 400 Member
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    IF I can catch myself before the binge starts - which I don't always, but more than half the time now I can - I've found the best thing I can do is just distract myself. Find something really engaging to read, or play a video game, or get involved in some kind of project. Anything really engaging and/or interesting. Once I'm engaged with something else, I stop thinking about how good it would feel to eat, and the urge usually is past by the time I'm done whatever I was doing.
  • briannadunn
    briannadunn Posts: 841 Member
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    Take magnesium and homeopathic remedies for stress relief.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    When I'm upset I...
    Go for a walk
    Cry
    Scream
    Throw things
    Destroy things (I become a human paper shredder)
    Blast angry, hate music

    Sometimes all of the above.
    Hot angry hate sex works great too. But be careful with that one! ;)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I rarely get upset (just a personality thing) but when I do, I play videogames and shoot the hell out of things. My hands are busy so I can't eat. Just find an activity you like that either makes you too busy to eat or keeps you far from food (someone mentioned walking).
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Lots of good ideas - one to add is cleaning - especially going through old stuff and throwing it out. There is something emotionally freeing about throwing out old stuff like those old fat pants that you never want to fit in again. The punching bag in the garage sounds good too.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    I grab my golf bag, go to the driving range, and smash about two hundred golf balls.

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