On a purely rational and logical level, I know that stress doesn’t make me do anything – *I* make myself eat complete junk when I’m stressed out. Somehow, salad and stress are not synonymous; I crave gummy bears[*], licorice[*], deep-fried pickles[**], and spicy-crispy sushi rolls[***]. I eat the cookies on the counter at work because they are *there* and I’m feeling stress, and therefore I emotionally eat them. I delude myself into thinking that eating several samosas a day is healthy, and that somehow I can justify this by juicing every morning before work – as if this somehow balances out the other. Now, I do realize that I’m not infallible; I’m a human being who has emotions, worries, etc. etc. Yet, at the same time, I would like to start acknowledging the reasons for eating what I do – I am stressed out and in dire need of better coping mechanisms.

I am hoping that the EFT workshop I took yesterday will be beneficial in helping me to combat some of my occupational stresses. Going to the gym and meeting with my trainer regularly has helped immeasurably, but I don’t go to the gym every day… the junk food in the fridge is always in the office, and when I get home from work, there is always the option of going out and finding something deliciously wrong to eat. The interesting thing I’m noticing is that, with the stress-based cravings that I experience, attempting to satiate them is never as satisfying as I’m ever hoping for. At some point in the past, I’ve found the item to be delicious on a certain day and although I try to recreate my feelings of contentment, I can never succeed; I know I’m emotionally eating.

On the most base level, I don’t *want* to eat deep fried pickles – I actually love vegetables. Real vegetables. Somehow, through, my stress makes me act in other ways. I guess acknowledgment is the first step. The next step? Only taking one samosa to work, along with some fruit and vegetables.

[*] – At least they are organic
[**] – There is nothing justifiable with regards to these
[***] – The junk food of maki