Binge eating disorder is a tough mental illness to deal with, but there are ways to combat it without needing medical treatment. Creating distractions to delay and prevent a binge is the first step to stopping binges entirely. In this post, I’ll explain why distractions can help you stop binging and give you a list of 50 things to do instead of binge eating.
How Distractions Helped Me Stop Binging
Binge eating, like any bad habit or addiction, solidifies itself in your mind and becomes a coping mechanism. It becomes the first thing you think about when you’re stressed, happy, or even feeling nothing at all. Treating binge eating like a bad habit that needed to be broken was what helped me stop binging, and it can help you too.
To stop binge eating, come up with a list of small distractions to pick from when you need them. When you feel the need to binge or expect you might get a binge craving, refer to your list and pick one that’s convenient. Doing this will make sure you’re prepared with a way to distract yourself whenever a need to binge appears.
The goal is to take your mind off binge eating so you can delay the binge or even stop it completely. If you end up delaying the binge even for a few minutes, it’s a victory. Then next time, you can try waiting a bit longer! Eventually, you’ll be able to ride the binge craving until it passes.
“The truth is, you don’t break a bad habit; you replace it with a good one.” – Denis Waitley Click To Tweet
Finding Habits to Replace Binge Eating
Choosing the right habits to replace binge eating will ensure you’re successful at distracting yourself. The distraction can be anything small that you like doing. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s not another bad habit. In short, it just needs to be easy and enjoyable. That way, you’ll be encouraged to keep at it.
Also, building good habits can have a snowball effect. Once you start, it gets easier to keep going and add more good habits. And the more healthy habits you have, the better you feel about yourself. This will help you quit binge eating by giving you something better to work towards.
I highly recommend replacing binge eating with something that makes you healthier, either mentally or physically. Or, you can choose to replace binging with something that makes you proud of yourself, improves your self-image, or simply takes your mind off the need to binge. All these are great options.
50 Things to Do Instead of Binge Eating
- Drink a large glass of water.
- Take up playing a new instrument.
- Make a tea or coffee and enjoy every sip.
- Invite a friend over to enjoy a movie together.
- Try a new workout.
- Download Duolingo and start learning a new language.
- Clean your bathroom, office, etc.
- Go shopping at your favorite store.
- Play a board game.
- Take a walk to the mailbox and check your mail.
- Spend some time playing with your dog or cat.
- Go for a long drive.
- Go for a massage.
- Check out a new hiking trail.
- Find a new podcast to listen to.
- Paint your nails a wild color.
- Write a letter to your future self.
- Search Spotify for your next favorite song.
- Visit a craft store and find a new hobby.
- Try out a new makeup style.
- Wash the laundry.
- Take a long, hot shower.
- Wash your windows.
- Go to the beach.
- Visit your favorite café.
- Go shopping.
- Look up funny memes on the internet.
- Clean your dishes.
- Organize your closet.
- Meditate for 15 minutes.
- Visit an animal shelter.
- Play with your kids.
- Find a new blog to read through.
- Call a friend or family member.
- Grab a healthy snack.
- Meal prep some healthy food.
- Spend some time in nature.
- Go for a walk around the block.
- Repaint a room in your house.
- Do a jigsaw puzzle.
- Write down some simple positive affirmations.
- Write in a daily journal.
- List your excuses to binge so you can plan ways to prevent them.
- Throw on your favorite Netflix series.
- Wash your car.
- Crank some tunes and dance around your house.
- Make a Pinterest board of new workouts or recipes.
- Make a list of reasons to stop binging.
- Curl up on the couch with a book.
- When all else fails, take a nap.
More Help with Overeating
I’ve read many books to stop binge eating, but out of all them, here’s the one I enjoyed the most! The Binge Code by Alison Kerr offers techniques to stop binge eating by making cravings disappear with intuitive eating and mindfulness.
If you haven’t read The Binge Code yet, you really should! Learn how to stop being a slave to food and finally have food freedom. For more information on what the book teaches, I wrote a complete review of it here.
Click below for quick links to the book on Amazon!
Things to Do Instead of Binge Eating: Takeaway
Well, there you have it. 50 things you can do instead of binge eating, from finding new hobbies to getting active. Finding the right habits to replace binge eating will allow you to remove binging as a coping mechanism. And hopefully, you’ll learn something new so you can be proud of yourself along the way!
Distracting myself helped me stop binging and if you give it a chance, I’m sure it’ll help you, too. When the need to binge eat appears, grab something off the list and give it a try. You’ll be surprised by how effective replacing your habits can be!
Do you have anything to add to the list? Share your ideas in the comments!
That’s it for now everyone. If you’ve found some value in this post, please share it to inspire others too! Thanks!
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