Sounds typical, right? Nothing else to do except sit around and eat. You’re not hungry, you’re just vegetating (no pun intended). When you're bored you instinctively become what's called a "bored-eater". You fall into this rut where you have nothing to do and you're at home with an abundance of unhealthy foods and snacks. They’re accessible and available for massive consumption because, let’s face it, you made it that way by purchasing them. So what are the reasons behind bored eating? I am naturally inquisitive (notice how I said inquisitive and not nosy), so I asked a few people and came up with a few good reasons:
1. Nothing to do – this is clearly obvious. If you have nothing to do and nowhere to go, of course you are going to eat. We sit at home in front of the television or behind a computer and automatically feel as if we have to snack. Solution: get up and do something active. Exercising at the gym or the park is a great way to stay healthy and in shape.
2. Everyone else is doing it – sigh; “when in Rome do as the Romans”. I used to think it was ok to drink beer when I was in social circles because I wanted to “break the ice”, so to speak, and seem relatively interesting instead of the bored one of the group. Solution: do not give into the temptation of eating unhealthy just to fit in. If you are bored and you resort to bad eating habits in social circles just to relate, you may want to look at those circles a little closer.
3. Depression – I hate to hear people say they eat because they are depressed. You are in an unhappy state of mind, you are trying to deal with your emotions and in the process, searching for something to soothe or comfort you. What’s more comforting than chips, cookies, or pizza, things that taste good and will seemingly recharge your neurons? It is easy to turn to junk food when you’re in an emotional state because it won’t turn on you. Or will it? When you fall into bad food patterns it seems harder to get out of them. Solution: observe the pattern you are creating when in an emotional state of mind and turning to food to cope. The overeating inevitably leads to weight gain and, undeniably, holding onto that emotion. It is better to deal with the emotion than to associate it with bad eating choices.
4. It’s time to eat – I find it funny when people throw time under the bus. “Time isn’t on my side”; “time is moving too fast”; “I never have enough time”; “the time is now”; “it’s time to eat”. Time is innocent. We use time as an excuse for so many things and do not realize if we use it correctly, it can benefit us. Solution: listen to your body and ask yourself “is it really time to eat or am I just eating because I have nothing else to do right now?”. There’s nothing wrong with eating at specific times. Body builders and athletes have to do this all the time for muscle growth and retention. But eating on a schedule and eating at a specific time just because there’s nothing else to do at that time are completely different.
There are more reasons why people are classified as bored eaters. I found these to be the most interesting. There should be no reason a person should eat unhealthy due to boredom. There are many methods of removing yourself from that bored state of mind, it is a matter of finding what works for you.
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