100 Things You Can Do Instead of Eat When You Are Upset

(or bored, or sad, or stressed…)

This is a compilation from the Emotional Eaters Group. Feel free to steal these ideas to help you with your fitness goals!
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1. Aromatherapy: sprays, essential oils, cut open an orange, whatever will stimulate your sense of smell.
2. Ask yourself, What would I like instead?
3. Beat on a pillow till your arms are tired and you’re laughing from the silliness of it.
4. Blog on Spark People.
5. Brush your teeth.
6. Call someone you can trust: lean on their shoulder.
7. Cancel life: take a retreat to re–evaluate if this is how you want your life to be. You can retreat at home or go to a convent, Buddhist temple, resort…whatever your wallet can handle.
8. Check out the Daily Spark.
9. Chew gum.
10. Clean house, a room, the fridge. Mop, dust, vacuum.
11. Clean out your recipe file and books.
12. Clean the car…inside and out.
13. Clean your cupboards of junk food.
14. Clean your spice drawer or cabinet of expired spices.
15. Clean and organize your office.
16. Compose music.
17. Computer games (like the ones on Spark).
18. Crafts.
19. Crochet, knit, needlepoint, cross stitch, quilt.
20. Cry. Let your emotions out so you don’t try to stuff them down with food.
21. Dance! In a dance hall or your living room!
22. Daydream.
23. Deep breathing. Focus on things you appreciate.
24. Do something for somebody else. Volunteer.
25. Don’t talk when someone upsets you, unless necessary. Then pray silently for wisdom.
26. Drink water.
27. Enjoy a cup of tea or decaf coffee.
28. Exercise until you’re exhausted.
29. Express your needs. Your needs are just as important as anyone else’s.
30. Feed your fish and enjoy the entertainment.
31. Find reasons to laugh (jokes, funny movies, stories).
32. Focus on the positive. For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count them.
33. Garden.
34. Get a massage.
35. Get as many Spark Points for the day as you can…max it out.
36. Give & receive a scalp massage with a friend.
37. Give Spark Goodies.
38. Give yourself a facial with hot towels.
39. Give yourself a foot bath, scrub, & massage.
40. Give yourself a manicure. Or get a professional one.
41. Give yourself a pedicure. See above :-)
42. Go for a drive.
43. Go to another room in your home.
44. Hike in nature.
45. Hot shower with scented soap and lotion afterward.
46. Hot tub.
47. Journal writing.
48. Leave welcome messages on new Sparkers pages.
49. Light incense or scented candles.
50. Listen to nature music…or the real thing if you’re near it.
52. Listen to relaxing music.
53. Look at garden magazines.
54. Look at others’ Spark Pages and send goodies.
55. Look at photos. Make a photo album.
56. Look up Spark People Motivators.
57. Love yourself.
58. Make a grateful list (good things you have and good things you’ve done).
59. Make choices about what you have time and energy to do. Take care of the most important things first and say NO to the unimportant. Use a priority list as a guide and practice saying, NO.
60. Meditate.
61. Meet new people on the computer.
62. Organize a closet. Take what you don’t need to a thrift store.
63. Organize your junk drawer.
64. Paint.
65. Pay bills.
66. Pet your cat, dog, hamster, snake, etc.
67. Plan an outing.
68. Play a board game.
69. Play a musical instrument. Or take a lesson!
70. Play cards.
71. Play solitaire.
72. Play suduko, crossword puzzle, etc.
73. Play with silly putty or play dough and squish the heck out of it!
74. Play with your kids or grandkids. Read to them.
75. Post on Spark People.
76. Post your calories on Spark People.
77. Pray.
78. Put on lipstick.
79. Read a book. The kind you can’t put down.
80. Read a scripture.
81. Rearrange the furniture.
82. Reconnect with your faith.
83. Reconnect with your friends.
84. Rejoice in what you have.
85. Research something interesting on the computer.
86. Ride a bike.
87. Send a card.
88. Sew.
89. Shop.
90. Sing your heart out! (even if you don’t know the words).
91. Skim leaves from your koi pond, pool, etc.
92. Slow down.
93. Snuggle with your partner, child, grandchild, or pet.
94. Spend time forgiving yourself. Be kind and gentle with yourself, as you would a child. Know that you always do the best you can in any situation with the resources you have available at that time.
95. Stretch your muscles.
96. Study. Do homework.
97. Swim.
98. Take a hot bubble bath.
99. Take a nap.
100. Take out the trash and throw it in the dumpster…hard!
101. Talk with a friend.
102. Think of someone in your life who loves, respects, and appreciates you. See yourself through their eyes.
103. Think of why you want to eat, and remind yourself that eating will only make things worse.
104. Update your resume (don’t wait until you NEED it!).
105. Update your Spark page.
106. Visit a pet shelter or pet store.
107. Visit your neighbor.
108. Walk around the mall, in the park, around the block.
109. Walk the dog.
110. Wash your hair.
111. Watch America’s Funniest Home Videos.
112. Watch a funny movie, a tear jerker (or a drama, or a musical…).
113. Watch the rain or snowfall.
114. Watch the trees grow and flowers bloom.
115. WiiFit.
116. Work on your taxes (pull things together–there’s always more to do than you think at the end of the year).
117. Write a fictional short story about what you’d do to resolve the situation and make yourself feel better.
118. Write a friend (try hand writing it, like the old days!).
119. Yoga.