“As humans, we often choose the path of least resistance by ignoring the cues designed by our bodies and minds to help us learn from our history and each other,” says Paula Pavlova of Pavlova Wellness. “We use substances like drugs, food, and alcohol to drown our worries, pick little fights to avoid feeling our feelings, point out others’ flaws and hold grudges instead of looking closely at ourselves.” The trouble comes because many of these unhealthy coping habits only provide temporary pleasure or relief. They’re stand-in strategies that stall—rather than solve—underlying unrest. “These tactics are attractive because they’re easy—but they work until they don’t,” Pavlova says. Even when times are at their toughest, avoid getting trapped in these nine unhealthy behaviors commonly used to cope, especially these days—and health and wellness experts walk through how to deal instead. “I recommend keeping the drinks to a minimum these days,” says emergency medicine physician Cassie Majestic, MD. “While alcohol makes people feel more relaxed and happy initially, those effects are temporary. Keep yourself busy with other projects, goals, or interactions, and limit the amount of alcohol you keep in your home, so there’s a barrier to drinking in excess.” RELATED: Mindfulness Is a Happy Hour Game Changer—Here’s How to Practice Mindful Drinking What can you do instead with urges to keep watching, scrolling, or snacking on sweets? As Shy explains, research shows that behavioral changes come not by berating ourselves, but instead by acknowledging and accepting our underlying impulses, without necessarily giving in to them every time. Shy shares four steps for curbing constant bingeing as a coping strategy. “First, when you feel an urge to binge, pause and take a breath,” she says. “Addiction feeds off mindless behavior.” Even if you do ultimately cave to a craving, taking a pause before the binge reminds you of the agency you have over your own body, decisions, attention, and time. “Second, notice the root of the impulse: Is it loneliness? Fear? Grief? What are you escaping when you get sucked into the next episode or hour of scrolling. Third, with lots of compassion, put a hand on your heart and stomach, close your eyes, and say to yourself, ‘This is really hard. This is really uncomfortable. I know you want to escape.’ Take 5 to 10 breaths repeating these phrases of self-compassion.” Finally, if you’ve tried everything above and still want to binge on something, do it with a sense of control. “Remove the mindless nature of the activity and replace it with some mindfulness,” Shy says.“Set a timer so you don’t do it forever and actually stop when the timer goes off. If you’re eating, eat slowly and mindfully, tasting each bite.” RELATED: Calming, 5-Minute Breathing Exercises for Anxiety “If you’re in charge at work, schedule video meetings or lunches regularly with your team. If you’re flying solo, consider making yourself a schedule (with specific time-blocked slots) on work days,” Dr. Majestic says. “Consider using an old-school planner, since everything involves technology these days. And get out of those sweats! You can look forward to putting them back on when your work day is finished.” RELATED: 5 Morning Routine Tips to Make Your WFH Schedule More Productive Next time you feel your heart race, stomach churn, and jaw clench (all involuntary physical reactions to stress), Pavlova says to plant your feet firmly into the ground—or lie or sit down—and close your eyes. “Take a deep, slow, steady breath all the way in (like you’re breathing into your legs and feet), hold it for a moment, then let it out just as slowly.” Do this at least three times before returning the task at hand. Only once you feel reconnected to your breath and more anchored in your body, “respond to the text, to call, to challenge, to moment, with grace rather than force or fear. Apply this to everything that you do,” Pavlova says. “Even if you don’t have a Peloton or weights at home, there are so many at-home workouts to choose from on platforms like YouTube or Instagram,” says Dr. Majestic, who loves HIIT workouts because they rarely require equipment. And she’s right: Stream great fitness videos from home, practice yoga for free, run the stairs in your building, and use that full jug of laundry detergent as your heavy kettlebell. “If nothing else, get outside for a walk and keep your body moving throughout the day in short intervals,” Dr. Majestic says. RELATED: I Tried This Popular Home Workout Method, and Now I Understand the Hype “When you find yourself mentally spiraling about what is lacking, create more awareness about the opposite: abundance,” Pavlova says. “Abundance mentality empowers you to believe in your ability to conquer any circumstance (seen or unforeseen) by believing in yourself, no matter how long it takes.” This doesn’t mean leaning into the idea of more stuff (money, power, goods); an abundance mindset is one of optimism and agency, rather than negativity and helplessness. Despite the negative things—of which there will always be some—what do you have? What is there plenty of in your life? What good things have you accomplished today, even if they’re small? RELATED: How to Check In With Your Emotions Regularly “The concept of ’not enough’ is a construct in a system that we ultimately create: We agree to the deadlines, we vote in our leaders, and we feed our fears with rhetoric that makes us feel powerless,” Pavlova says. “Instead, think of yourself as the hero, ask a neighbor for help and ask how you can help them. When you believe in yourself, you begin to make an impact on the world around you, rather than the other way around. Life happens because of you, not to you.” RELATED: 6 Smart Snacking Tips That’ll Help You Stave Off Hanger RELATED: A Psychologist Shares the Best (and Worst) Ways to Deal With Uncertainty
