Do you ever feel as if you're in a situation in which your eating can easily get out of your control? Perhaps it's every time you go to a party, when you're at a buffet, while you're doing certain activities like shopping, or when you're feeling very hungry, bored, tired, or stressed out.
Whatever the reasons, it's a good idea to think back over situations that led you to overeat in the past — to learn about yourself and develop strategies for dealing with similar circumstances should they arise in the future. Take some time to write about a past situation, answering the following questions:
- What were the circumstances? Where were you? Who were you with? What were you doing? And so on.
- How were you feeling physically? Were you hungry? Sleepy? Feeling a little weak or run down?
- How were you feeling emotionally? Were you anxious or sad? Angry or tense? Happy or joyful?
- What thoughts were going through your mind?
- Were you aware of any specific cues to eat, such as the presence of trigger foods, or friends eating in front of you?
Be as specific as you can, and remember that the important thing is to recall the details of the situations that led you to overeat — to identify the triggers but not dwell excessively on "what went wrong." This is not an exercise in beating yourself up!
Once you've written about a high-risk situation, brainstorm some strategies you could have used to avoid overeating. Evaluate these options, and then choose a couple of helpful and realistic ones to keep in mind for the next time you find yourself in a similar situation.
If you give this exercise careful thought, then the next time you face a high-risk situation, things won't feel so out of control. Think of it as planning for success!
