I can not even count on two hands how many times I was sitting on the couch relaxing, and I heard my stomach rumble. It is such a pain in the neck because half the time, I question if I am truly hungry. How could I possibly be hungry if I just ate half an hour ago.

This is something that I struggled with for years. I felt like I was constantly hungry, so I ate way more than I shouldn’t have. Unfortunately, this lead me to gain unnecessary and unwanted weight. I would feel bloated and sick because I was overeating. It made me miserable. It took me years to learn how to handle my hunger appropriately.

When your life is fast paced and involves running here, there, and everywhere, it is no wonder that we can find ourselves feeling hungry or overwhelmed. Sometimes, these hungry feelings are legitimate, and it would be wise to grab a snack, but many times, we eat because we are bored or stressed out. As a college student, this makes complete and total sense to me because I am either in class, working on an assignment, working, or running around doing errands. This often causes me to become overwhelmed, and then I feel hungry.

I have found that some of the best solutions to beating the feeling of hunger is to distract myself. Some of my favorite things to do when I begin to feel hungry are going to the gym, watching my favorite movie or anime, or listening to music. Ideally, I need to distract myself from my stressors to be able to take away my hunger.

When I am feeling genuinely hungry, I find it helpful to eat something healthy or something high in protein, like fresh fruits and veggies or deli meat. Other tricks that I have tried to suppress my hunger is drinking a large glass of water or chewing peppermint flavored gum.

Everyone is different, so some things that work for me, may not work for somebody else. We must experiment to find what is right for us. Remember, in our fast paced society, we sometimes mistake stress and anxiety for hunger, so examine your current situation to determine if you are legitimately hungry before stuffing your face with junk food.

Try some of these helpful tips when you are starting to feel hungry:

• Drink a glass of ice water or hot tea
• Chew a piece of gum or suck on a mint
• Eat a piece of fruit or vegetable
• Paint your nails
• Read a book
• Go for a walk or go to work
• Find something to clean or organize
• Log on to social media
• Doodle or color in a coloring book
• Talk to a friend on the phone
• Take a nap
• Plan out weekly menu (Don’t forget the protein!)
• Do some yoga poses and deep breathing
• Check your emails
• Get a massage
• Write in a journal
• Brush your teeth (You won’t want to eat after cleaning your teeth.)
• Make an inspiration board
• Do a DIY project
• Watch a movie or TV show
• Meditate
• Take a bubblebath
• Listen to music
• Experiment with your hair and make-up