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How To Calm Anxiety When Eating Fear Foods

December 18, 2021

Ryann Nicole

Hi, I’m Ryann.

Your Not-So-Average Food Freedom Therapist & Virtual Coach. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Certified Nutritionist with a BA in Psychology, and a MA in Professional Counseling, yes I do a little of the "so how does that make you feel".

But my ultimate goal is to provide you with the resources you need, in an easy-to-understand way, on healing your disordered relationship with food and your body. 

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Binge Eating

Healthy Habits

Body Image

Emotional Eating

Mental Health 

Anxiety is a natural biological response to any threat you experience. Anxiety isn't a bad thing! It keeps us safe when faced with a threat. Anxiety doesn't help when we experience it about something that isn't a threat to our survival.. like a piece of pizza. And the only way to calm anxiety when eating these fear foods is to calm yourself down around them, to show that you are safe. You are okay. The pizza will not hurt you. Here are a few ways you can do that:

01. Focus on Your Breath

Calm yourself down by practicing breathing exercises. A few of my favorites are:

  • box breathing
  • alternate nostril breathing

02. Bring Attention Elsewhere

Focus on where you are. What you see. Who you are with. What you hear. This can help calm you down enough to enjoy the fear foods.

03. Disrupt Your Thoughts

If any calorie counting arises or fears about calories come up, you can choose to disrupt those thoughts by reciting something random in your mind, such as:

  • pink elephant, pink elephant, pink elephant
  • How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

04. Practice Grounding

One of my favorite grounding exercises is grabbing an object, holding it in my hand, and describing it in as much detail in my head as possible. I love this because you can do it anywhere!

05. Let The Thoughts Go

Imagine the thoughts moving through you like clouds. You don't have to choose to engage with them.

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Your Not-So-Average Food Freedom Therapist & Virtual Coach

@itsryannnicole