Why You Shouldn't Worry About Gaining Weight When Stressed
Why You Shouldn't Worry About Stress Eating, Overeating, or Gaining Weight Right Now
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"If the fear of weight gain is coming up for you, know that you're not alone. You're not wrong for struggling with this — it's a message that has been prominent in our lives for years," O'Malley explained. She said to ask yourself, "where does this belief come from? What's underneath my fear of weight gain? Is it the weight gain itself, or how you feel that would change your daily life?" This does two things: first, it helps us get closer to the root of what our actual fear is about our changing body. Second, by being aware of those thoughts or beliefs, we have the opportunity to challenge and change them.
"When everything feels uncertain and out of control, controlling your body size can feel like an obvious project to occupy your mind," Ackerman said. "Not only does it often fuel chaotic eating and weight fluctuation, it also distracts us from truly experiencing our emotions and placing our energy into what matters most to us," she added.
By allowing ourselves to feel the emotions underneath, whether it be fear, sadness, or uncertainty, we allow those emotions to move through us. Ackerman added that this also allows us more brain space to contribute to finding creative ways to stay connected to our loved ones and practice self-care.
This is a very stressful, scary, emotional time in our lives. "It makes sense that we are looking for control and normalcy in different ways, and unfortunately, since diet culture is so pervasive, it's sold us the idea that being smaller is how we find success, happiness, and control, and that is not the case," O'Malley explained.
Black added, "We have been given a gift of being forced to slow life down and really evaluate what is important. Reconnecting with old friends, spending time with family, cleaning out the clutter that we have collected, and studying new skills is now in the forefront." Don't let a scale overshadow the quality relationships you get to build over the next few weeks or months. "In five years, when you talk about this unprecedented time, you will not remember five pounds on the scale. You will remember the moments you created with others and with yourself," Black said.