As much as I hate to admit it, I am an emotional eater. For the most part, I have learned to manage this. In times of stress, I catch myself going back to old habits. I have been struggling with this for the last few days. I spent Tuesday at the hospital with dd- she was having an upper GI and small bowel barium study. It took longer than expected (we were there 7 hours), and even though the results were immediate, her doctor won't be in to read them until next week. DS has his first appointment with a rheumatologist on the 11 (and both the kids specialists are at a medical center an hour away- which creates it's own set of stressors), and in the meantime I have developed chronic joint pains, but am afraid to get anything done about it because of all of the other medical issues that the kids are having right now (our regular doctor also wants dd to see an ENT because fo achronic stuffy/runny nose). Every time we go to the doctor, we end up with a partial bill- even though we have insurance.We are just now finished paying off all of the testing that dd had done last year, and starting on a new round of testing for both her and ds. The joint pain has caused me to fall off of my gym schedule, so I need to find ways to start fitting activity back into my life (thank goodness for the Wii). Exercise used to be the way that I dealt with stress, but now I don't even want to go because I am in so much pain afterwards. I also know from our dealings with Occupational Therapists for the kid's sensory issues, that chewing/biting creates deep pressure in your body that can be calming. I am going to pick up some baby carrots to chomp on so that I can get some of that deep pressure without consuming a ton of extra calories. So, I have a plan- I just have to follow through, and let go of the rest. Easier said than done.
What ways do you deal with stress and emotional eating?