If you are to face a stressful situation - an important meeting, a heart-to-heart talk with someone you don't like, but you have to meet - you may feel like you need something special to calm your nerves. Most people in such situation grab a piece of chocolate or a cookie. Don't worry if you are among them, using food to lower one's stress level is a common and effective method of coping with stress. Provided of course that you won't overdo it.



We all use eating as a method of stress relieving even if we do not consciously notice it. The problems begin when you face serious long-term crisis or simply a prolonged stressful situation (like romantic or family problems). Then eating becomes a habit and soon after you start gaining weight because of high-calorie food you use for stress reduction. In a matter of months your problems cease to be solved by snacks which become another serious problem itself.

Surprisingly enough, the most dangerous job when it comes to coping with stress by overeating is a truck driver. Long hours, being constantly in the move and having to meet tight deadlines make them eat more and more snack foods to calm down. Soon after that, many of them become overweight - all because of an attempt to reduce the stress level.

There are many people who rely on food as the main way of providing comfort in their lives. For example most new mothers when they find themselves under stress, start to grab a piece of chocolate every time when a stressful situation occurs. The problem is that by doing that, they do not really solve any of their problems, but only create new ones, related to overweight.

So, what can we do if the stress can't be fought using candies? How can we protect ourselves from stress? Then answer is simple: we can't protect ourselves from stress, but we can fight it. Find the real source of some particular problem and solve it. This will make you feel a bit better. Then find another one, solve it and feel even happier. And so on, and so on, and so on until you become as relaxed as on a sunny beach.