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Do you use food to deal with boring days? Don’t worry, this is the case with a lot of us as we try to drown our emotions in bags of chips and Netflix, thinking they’ll help us.
However, the happiness junk food gives only lasts for a short time and leads to long-term effects like weight gain and unhealthy lifestyles.
Therefore, it is important to pay attention to what you eat and whether you are using food as a coping mechanism or not.
Apart from the 3 compulsory meals of the day, it is okay to have a few snacks in between, but you should check on mindless eating.1 Mindless eating is when you are not mindful of what and how much you’re eating, or you eat because you’re bored.
Therefore, to help you out, we have made a list of 50 things to do instead of eating to help you with your boredom and stress.
Here are our suggestions on things to do instead of eating.
40 Great Things To Do Instead Of Eating –
1) Drink Water
Sometimes we feel hungry just because we’re dehydrated and thirsty. Drinking water can substitute for mindless eating as it will fill your stomach to make it feel fuller.
So when you’re looking for things to do instead of eating, you can drink a glass of water for relief.
2) Go For a Walk
Going for a walk has several health benefits, and it will also help you lose weight. It will freshen up your mood and keep you away from mindless eating of junk food in front of the TV.
So put on your walking shoes and get going!
3) Talk to Someone
We are usually so busy with our lives that we barely get to talk to our loved ones. Calling up an old friend to catch up on each other’s life is never a bad idea.
If you’re feeling low and looking for things to do instead of eating junk food, call up a friend and see how it instantly puts you in a better mood.
4) Organize Your Closet
You probably have been putting off cleaning and organizing your closet just like all of us.
Get off the couch then and clean your mess if you want to stop binge eating.2 It will distract you from eating food while making your everyday life easier3.
5) Clean Your Living Space
Research shows that a clean living space reduces stress and anxiety. It will help you stop eating as a coping mechanism,4 and a clean workspace will help increase your productivity.
So when you’re trying to find things to do instead of eating, you can get up and clean or even reorganize your living space.
6) Read Your Favorite Book
Reading is one of the best habits. It will help you focus on something other than eating and strengthen your mental abilities.5
You can read your old favourite book to reminisce about your childhood and make yourself forget about eating.
7) Go for a Bike Ride
Going for a bike ride is a great way to spend your evenings instead of eating mindlessly. When looking for things to do instead of eating, you can definitely try this one.
It is a great cardio exercise that is good for your health and will definitely make you feel better.
8) Do a Jigsaw Puzzle
If you’re bored and your mind tells you to eat, do not listen. Instead, get a jigsaw puzzle and focus on it!
It is great mental exercise and is way better than wasting your time watching tv and mindlessly eating.
9) Journal
Journaling is helpful for your mental health and if you’re looking for things to do instead of eating. It reduces stress and anxiety and helps you understand your emotions.6
You can write about anything from your day to your goals.
Getting your feelings out on a piece of paper is the best way to deal with low days.
10) Have a Self-Care Day
If you are looking for things to do instead of eating on a boring day, turn it into a self-care day! Instead of getting something to eat on such days, put on your favourite song and take a nice relaxing bath.
You can watch YouTube tutorials for DIY face masks, and skincare routines or learn a cool new makeup trick!
11) Dance to Your Favorite Songs
We can all agree that dancing is such a fun activity! It will instantly put you in a better mood and has several health benefits. You can do it in the comfort of your house and that will distract you from binge eating.
So whenever you are looking for things to do instead of eating at an odd hour, dance it away!
12) Sing Along to Your Favorite Song
If you’re not a dancer, worry not. Just put on a YouTube karaoke and sing your heart out.
You can pick some old songs and revisit old memories, the feeling is unparalleled. You can even invite your friends or a family member over to make it twice as fun!
13) Join a Yoga Class
When looking for things to do instead of eating, you can join a yoga class to deal with that boredom.
Yoga has numerous health benefits and is one of the most relaxing ways to spend your energy. It’ll make you move your body instead of just eating more food.
Yoga classes are easily available online, or you can use a yoga YouTube video for free.
14) Make a Vision Board
A vision board is a board on which you have to put images of everything that you desire. You can do this fun activity instead of eating when you are hungry for junk food.
Vision boards act as daily inspiration and motivate you to work harder towards your goals instead of finishing another bag of chips.
15) Write a Short Story
You can get your creative juices flowing and write a short story. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be great. Just something to distract you when you’re bored and feeling hungry. You can also write a poem or a song, it is all up to you!
16) Try Grounding Yourself
Grounding exercises are helpful for people experiencing strong feelings of stress or anxiety. Whenever you feel this way and are trying to find things to do instead of eating, you can try such exercises.
One of these exercises is the 54321 exercise. In this, you have to count five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste in the present moment.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can do this instead of emotionally eating.
17) Call or Visit Your Grandparents
As we grow older, we start losing touch with most of our close family members. You can call up your grandparents or visit them rather than lying around your house eating stuff or looking for things to do instead of eating.
It’ll make them both happy, and you’ll feel great too.
18) Go for a Walk in an Unknown Neighborhood
You can explore a new part of your city that you’ve never visited before.
Just make sure you’re safe, or take a person with you. You can take your car as well.
This is a healthy way to spend your time and could be fun!
19) Cook a Healthy Version of Your Favourite Meal
If nothing is working and you’re actually hungry, cook a healthier version of your favourite meal.
So instead of putting lots of cheese and butter in your pasta, you can look for healthy recipes for the same online. They’ll be delicious and help with the guilt as well.
20) Draw or Colour
Drawing something is a way of engaging your mind in something other than eating food. You also get something beautiful to be proud of at the end.
If you’re not so good with art, you can get a colouring book and enjoy the therapeutic exercise of creating.
21) Play Board Games
When you’re looking for things to do instead of eating, take out some of your old board games and enjoy a game with your family!
This will not only make you forget that you were feeling hungry, but it is also a feel-good fix for your boredom. It is a better option than emotional eating when you’re feeling low.
22) Take a Nap
Why eat to fill our free time when we can just take a nap? Getting enough sleep will keep you active and also regulate your hormones effectively.
23) Make a Meal Plan
If you’re feeling hungry and craving junk food, you can take out a pen and pad and devise a meal plan to eat healthily and get closer to your health goals. You can take the help of the internet or even consult a nutritionist.
24) Meditate
Meditating will help you calm down if you’re feeling overwhelmed. It is a great practice that connects you to yourself.
If you continue to meditate regularly, you’ll be able to focus better and pay attention to your eating habits as well.
25) Play with a Dog
If you can’t seem to stop binge eating, a dog is just what you need! Dogs help you cope with stress while also making you move. If you can’t get a pet of your own, play with the neighbour’s dog. Anything to keep your mind off of unnecessary binging!
26) Go Grocery Shopping
If you’re feeling the need to eat at an odd hour, and are looking for things to do instead of eating, make a plan to cook a fancy dinner!
Write down a list of everything that you’re going to need and go and get them. Enjoy a fun cooking night as you treat yourself.
27) Do some Physical Exercise
One of the best ways to spend your time if you’re trying to find things to do instead of eating is to get some exercise. It’ll release endorphins and help you lose weight. You will also find tons of videos online to choose from.
28) Read Newspapers
If you are experiencing a strong urge to binge eat and are looking for things to do instead of eating, pick up a newspaper! Reading a newspaper is a great habit, and you should start if you haven’t already. It’ll help you with your boredom and make you smart!
29) Look at Old Photo Albums
Take a trip down nostalgia lane with some old photo albums! You won’t believe how happy it will make you compared to the guilt when you eat mindlessly. You can also look at old pictures on your phone.
30) Declutter Your Phone
While you are looking at old pictures on your phone, you can get rid of all the unnecessary stuff in it. It would be a better way to spend your time and will also give you more storage space on your phone.
31) Plan a Trip to a Dream Destination
You can research your favourite cities or country and plan a trip for the future when you’re trying to find things to do instead of eating. You can look online for ideas, and spend your time doing something other than eating.
32) Go on Pinterest
Pinterest is way better than all the other social media platforms. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, and want to find things to do instead of eating, you can go on Pinterest.
Enjoy the pretty pictures and make some mood boards while you’re at it!
33) Learn Knitting
When looking for things to do instead of eating, you can learn how to knit through videos online, or find family members to teach you! You can start by trying to knit something simple like a muffler.
It is a better way to spend your time instead of eating, and you get to learn a new skill.
34) Write a Blog
You can brainstorm about your favourite topics and start a blog page! You can also write about some of your life experiences if you want.
This will be a great option if you’re trying to find things to do instead of eating.
35) Create Something With Origami
If you’ve nothing else to do and are looking for things to do instead of eating, you can do some origami! You can use whatever you make as decorations for your house.
36) Do an Impromptu Photoshoot
If you’re looking for things to do instead of eating, you can get dressed, go to a cool location, and do an impromptu photoshoot with your friends!
Not only will you not lie around the house and eat, but you’ll also get some great pictures of the gram!
37) Pick up an Instrument
Playing instruments is a well-known stress buster. You can jam with your friends, or start learning a new instrument instead of eating junk food.
38) Tie-dye a T-shirt
You can easily tie-dye a white t-shirt with the help of online tutorials when you’re trying to find things to do instead of eating.
Turn your boring white tees into new funky t-shirts at your house!
39) Put Together New Outfits
On days you have nothing to do, and you’re looking for things to do instead of eating, put together some new outfits!
Use the clothes you already have if you can’t go out shopping. You can use Pinterest for inspiration too.
40) Check Out Google Street View
Google street view is a platform where you can view cities across the world from the comfort of your house. Especially during the pandemic, this is an excellent way to pass the time.
Conclusion
Now there you go. These were our 40 things to do instead of eating that’ll make you forget about unnecessary snacking!
It is important to mention that, never miss your three meals of the day as not skipping the three meals also helps you in keeping your mindless hunger at bay.
Now go on. Make your own list of things to do instead of eating and start using your free time for self-improvement today!
Read more from us here.
- Wansink, Brian. “From mindless eating to mindlessly eating better.” Physiology & behavior 100.5 (2010): 454-463. ↩︎
- Fairburn, Christopher G. Overcoming binge eating: The proven program to learn why you binge and how you can stop. Guilford Press, 2013. ↩︎
- Westfall, Chris. Easier: 60 Ways to Make Your Work Life Work for You. John Wiley & Sons, 2021. ↩︎
- Wills, Thomas Ashby. “Downward comparison as a coping mechanism.” Coping with negative life events: Clinical and social psychological perspectives. Boston, MA: Springer US, 1987. 243-268. ↩︎
- Johnstone, Chris. Seven ways to build resilience: strengthening your ability to deal with difficult times. Hachette UK, 2019. ↩︎
- Oatley, Keith, Dacher Keltner, and Jennifer M. Jenkins. Understanding emotions. Blackwell publishing, 2006. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology
Author
After reading the article about “40 Great Things To Do Instead Of Eating,” I agree with the idea of choosing healthier options. As someone who cares about eating well, the suggestions in the article fit with my lifestyle. They recommend doing things like exercising and trying new hobbies, which not only make you feel good but also help you be more mindful about what you eat. It reminds me that there are many enjoyable activities besides just eating.