Weight gain is unfortunately one of the many challenges associated with Covid-19. Be it boredom or stress, many are reaching for food to cope.
I’ve addressed coping strategies for stress in many other articles, but if the source of your overeating is boredom maybe you just need an enticing distraction.
You’ve likely tried your hand at board games and baking and might be getting a little bored with that too. Let’s face it; baking is part of the problem. If you’re looking for safe ideas of things to do, read on.
- Write something: a card, letter, poem, short story, song or journal entry. Just put pen to paper for old times sake.
- Perform an act of kindness. You could mow the grass for a neighbour. Pick up groceries for someone. Volunteer. Visit someone who is lonely (from a distance).
- Create a scrapbook of travel photos. You can enjoy the trip a second time.
- Try a walking meditation, particularly if you think you’re someone who can’t meditate. With eyes cast downward a few feet in front of you, shift your weight to one foot, lift the other and step. Shift, lift and step. Go slowly and intentionally, but not so slowly that you wobble or lose your balance.
- Learn something new: Sudoku, quilting, painting, photography, woodworking, a language, an instrument, the game of golf.
- Be a tourist in your own town. Where haven’t you been? What haven’t you seen?
- Take a drive out of town. Let the car decide which way to go. See what you find.
- Go on a picnic. Keep it simple. Make it fun.
- Get a coloring book. They’re everywhere with tons of variety.
- Make a vision board with plans for the future. Yes, it’s good to plan for the future, even when there’s uncertainty.
Eating can be a very satisfying and easy distraction. Sadly, the satisfaction is very short-lived with obvious drawbacks.
Notice when you feel bored and want to eat. Ask yourself what you can do right now that could be interesting or fun. It must be something appealing to you. Cleaning the fridge will not win a battle over eating fresh baked bread.
It’s good to have immediate and short-term ideas for boredom, but also think about finding a passion or a purpose for the long term. Working for a cause, being on a board, or mentoring are all potentially rewarding experiences that could fill the gap in your mind and spirit for years to come. You might just forget about boredom or overeating.