Why we want to drink and eat more right now

Have you found that the only thing getting you through all of this time at home right now is that glass of wine in the evening, or that chocolate bar mid-afternoon? Well you are not alone! A lot of people have told me that they have noticed they are turning to food and drink to get them through these tough times indoors and this is not surprising! - Food and alcohol are both coping mechanisms. They are both things that we turn to when we want to numb away stress or anxiety, that we use to take the edge off a tough day and that we know will take our mind off things for a bit... and they do help us to do these things for a while - but then the effects wear off, and unfortunately we are left feeling even worse.

Some of the reasons you may be turning to alcohol and food right now include:

- boredom: you have less to do and less places to go so they are things to keep you entertained;

- numbing: they numb how you are feeling and help to take your mind off any stress or anxiety that you may be experiencing in these uncertain times;

- ease of access: you can easily just walk over to your kitchen to grab something to drink or something to eat without anyone watching over you and without having to travel very far;

- less structure or accountability: with less people around and no set times you have to be in the office, you may find that you want to keep eating or drinking all day - nobody is there to judge you or to tell you not too;

-short-term pleasure: in this time of uncertainty we have no visibility on when our time indoors will come to an end - so we also have less of a reason to think about our long-term goals, we can be less focused on the future and much more focused on just finding ways to feel good right now and to make any discomfort or pain we are feeling, go away.... so what steps in to help us to do this and give us this short-term pleasure... alcohol and food.

So what can you do if you are turning to alcohol and food right now - these are things that covered in my 12-week online course Free Yourself From the Diet Cage - in which we look at (i) how to manage emotional and stress eating; (ii) re-building your relationship with alcohol and with food; (iii) how to stop eating (and drinking) in times of boredom or stress; and (iv) how you can eat in a way that leaves you feeling happy, nourished and satisfied, rather than guilty, miserable or deprived. With more time indoors, this is a perfect opportunity to start the course. If you would like to find out more about the course, you can do so here: www.thefoodtherapyclinic.com/online course. Get in touch at info@thefoodtherapyclinic.com if you would like to book in a call to talk through the course content and to explore whether this course is for you.

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." – Albert Einstein