As the holiday season approaches many individuals look towards a hopeful future, while also reflecting and remembering the happiness of past times. But not all holiday memories are pleasant and many are colored by feelings of anger, resentment, and disappointment. And today, thanks to the COVID virus, many individuals are burdened down by feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and frustration. Unfortunately, some individuals when under such stress or emotional upset and turmoil turn to food and alcohol as a coping mechanism. This stress induced mindless snacking and drinking cannot repair or replace what has been broken or lost. This defensive eating behavior does not solve any problems, it only creates new ones.
However, there are some interventions that can prevent such mindless eating and drinking, such as using the self-directed process of cognitive behavior adaption to think through your choices and responses, and then after some reflection and evaluation, take control of your emotions and learn how to respond, more reasonably, to negativity. These insights can be hard and painful but are effective and rewarding in the end. Also, you can be proactive by removing tempting snack foods from your presence and environment so what you cannot see is what you don’t eat. You can also use a weight management tool that I created, Attenuate, a safe and effective herbal supplement to help manage emotional holiday eating. It is not a stimulant and does not affect bowl or bladder function. By drinking Attenuate throughout your day to replace ‘unwanted snacking with satisfying sipping’, this zero-calorie drink can reduce your appetite, lower your hunger, and help you to curb stress induced carbohydrate cravings.
For more information on Attenuate please go to attenuatepro.com. Peter Vash,M.D.,MPH