You Can Prevent Triggers

Great job finishing up the Lark DPP "Cope with Triggers" Mission! It was designed to help you identify and recognize triggers for eating. Knowing your triggers can make it easier to prevent and handle them, and there are many strategies to avoid or reduce the impacts of eating due to triggers. 

Triggers for eating can come at you from all angles. Stress and emotions such as anger, fear, confusion, and anxiety can all increase cravings for sugary, starchy, high-calorie foods. Boredom is another all-too-common reason for eating when the body is not truly hungry.

Needless to say, food triggers are everywhere! They can be in supermarkets, in the form of tempting snacks and processed foods, and in restaurants, when delicious but less-healthy fare is placed on your table or your plate. Commercials, billboard ads, and the sight of a favorite fast food joint can also trigger cravings.

It is okay to give in every so often, but too much can lead to problems. Weight gain, increased risk for diabetes and hypertension, and poorer nutrition can all result from too much stress or other extra eating. Luckily, there are plenty of healthier ways to manage feelings! For example…

• Going for a walk.
• Phoning a friend.
• Journaling.
• Chatting with Lark.
• Drinking water.
• Eating something healthy.
• Engrossing yourself in a hobby.

It can feel good to know that triggers do not need to be all-powerful. Simply being aware that triggers can be identified and dealt with can lessen their impact. It can be worth the effort to start to think about triggers and gradually consider ways to address them, without putting pressure on yourself to avoid all triggers all the time, can make them less powerful and give you a feeling of freedom.