Do you ever feel relief when your work day is done? Maybe it’s when the clock hits a specific time or when that last thing on your to do list is crossed off. It is when you can transition from work life to personal time, but that isn’t always an easy transition.

No matter how you commute, work from home or do shift work, here are five strategies you can use to train your brain and body to know it is time to shift out of work mode.

Inventory. One great way to stop thinking about your day is to reflect on how you felt the day went. Identify what you liked, didn’t like, what went well, or didn’t. This can be a clear time for you to shift through all of these thoughts, evaluations, and worries before you get to your front door. If you find these thoughts spiral, try picturing placing them in a cabinet or chest and mentally locking them up. Sometimes it can even be helpful to remind yourself you’re not being paid for your worry time!

Snack. The time from lunch to dinner can be long and t...

As I have been researching more strategies to calm a nervous system, one thing I keep seeing repeated is how routines or regular rituals can really help bring a sense of calm to your days and weeks. I have already written about what building blocks you need to create a supportive routine, but I wanted to come back to this topic because…

…the most common feedback I hear from clients is that these routines feel overwhelming, like another thing to add to your ‘to do list’, and that can have the opposite effect of calming your system.

Below I outline a number of small examples of routines and rituals you can try out and see if they work for you. And remember: you don’t have to be perfect at this! For one person, doing something every day can be helpful because of the frequency, for someone else doing one thing weekly gives them the wiggle room (aka permission!) to show up when they can.

• In the morning, create a routine that takes you from sleepy to energized. This can look like freshe
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I have been doing a deep dive into regulating a nervous system and how it can support myself and my emotional eating clients. But the thing I have found as I researched is that there is a lot of talk about the benefits of a regulated nervous system, but not a lot on the specifics of how to actually do that, so I wanted to break this down with real strategies you can use when you need them!

Your nervous system is a complex and important part of your body, but at base it is a communications highway (your brain, nerves, and spinal cord are all part of it, so it even kind of looks like a highway!). This means it gathers information from our senses, processes all this information, and then has the body react as it thinks appropriate.

It’s an important tool to keep us alive because it turns this information into action—from literally running away to digesting the meal you just had. But it can also jump to conclusions based on past events (like traumatic experiences) and immediately slip in...

The winter months can bring low mood, even depression, as the cold and dark seem never ending. I’ve shared before some strategies to support yourself through this season, but I wanted to give you some things you can do to change your thought patterns or actions in a moment.

The best part? I’ve divided them based on level of effort. So, no matter if you have very limited energy or need to take a big step to change things up, think of the bullets below as a menu you can use whenever you need! Make sure to bookmark this post to come back to (these won’t just be helpful in the winter, but whenever you need to shift or shake your energy).

Low Energy

• Drop key words, a single line, or doodle in your journal.
• Close your eyes and take 4 to 5 slow belly breaths.
• Text a friend (you can keep it light like sending a link to an article or sharing something funny).
• Slow down and brew a cup of tea. Use your senses: smell the leaves, hold the warm mug in your hands, consider the taste as you si
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Our modern society keeps us hustling: from work to parenting to errands to all kinds of activities. We’re taught that there is value in keeping busy, that being productive should be celebrated. We also are constantly bombarded online with content that highlights people having it all together, going on their next vacation, workout out at 5:00 a.m., or getting a promotion. You feel you have to keep doing to keep up!

And being busy can be a coping mechanism too.

There are a number of reasons you might keep adding to your to do list. First, keeping your mind constantly focused on what you have to do next stops you from having any space to think. It becomes an avoidance tactic that keeps you from feeling or thinking about what you don’t want to. Ever notice when the chaos of the day ends—driving home from work or after the kids are in bed—you end up reaching for food? That’s because constantly being busy is an avoidance tactic just like emotional eating. You can rely on food when your day...

Often here at the Centre for Emotional Eating we talk about how your patterns and habits with food are influenced not by the cravings themselves, but the root cause behind what makes you act.

For many, the root cause can be found in childhood or adolescent experiences. This is because as our brains and bodies grow, we are learning and are influenced by examples displayed around us—to finish what’s on our plate, diet talk, stuffing down emotions, just to name a few. We learn from parents, caregivers, teachers, coaches, siblings, and friendship circles! But not all of these lessons will serve you as you grow into your own adulthood, some might be downright painful or destructive.

It is incredibly common to reach a point in your adult life and know things need to change but not know how. This is where therapy can be a very helpful tool in helping you sort through your thoughts and feelings, gain confidence to make your own decisions, and help you feel more resilient.

And one effective ...

You might have heard of, or experienced, seasonal affective disorder (also known as SAD) during the colder months of the year. Common symptoms of SAD are irritability, changes to your sleep patterns or the way you eat, and worsening of anxiety or depression. If you’re reading that and thinking “that sounds familiar” but it is the Summer and you dismiss your symptoms, we’re here to tell you that SAD can also happen during the sunnier, warmer months.

Our brains and bodies like routine: it makes things feel in control and predictable. So, any time there are changes introduced—like hotter weather, later sunsets, or change to homelife—it is understandable that our system would react in a certain way, no matter if it is Winter or Summer. There are a number of reasons why Summer SAD can happen, but here are two big ones:

Day-to-Day Disruptions

You might be planning vacations (hello travel stress!) which can add to your mental load or are having to navigate having kids home on school break....

After working with emotional eaters for more than a decade, it is common to hear from clients that they don’t understand why they keep emotionally eating when it makes them feel terrible.

They can’t stand the overfull feeling after a binge.

They hate hiding from others and sneaking food.

They judge their worth by thinking they need more willpower to get their shit together.

They dread the judgement, guilt, and self-hatred that comes after eating.

They’re ashamed of how much money they spend on food.

For something that is supposed to bring a sense of comfort, these things sound like anything but! So, why are you stuck in this emotional eating cycle when you know it doesn’t feel good? It isn’t about cravings for specific foods or an “addiction to sugar.”

It is because emotional eating is familiar. It is the predictability, even the negative side of it, that offers you a sense of comfort. You know what to expect and our brains are wired to go with what we know. Yup, even when what ...