The document discusses how boredom and negative emotions can sometimes lead people to eat as a way to cope. It notes that boredom eating can become an unhealthy habit, especially if it is used to replace other habits like smoking. However, it suggests that people can use self-suggestion techniques to imagine alternative activities to keep their hands and minds busy instead of eating when bored, in order to break unhealthy habits and better manage emotions.

1. Boredom and Eating
• Boredom is not usually listed as an emotion.
• However, boredom is a negative state of mind.
• Boredom indicates a need for action to restore a more comfortable state of
mind.
• Some people turn to eating as a solution for boredom.

2. Boredom and Eating
• Sometimes boredom is a cover for more subtle emotional states, such as
feeling "non-cheerful," or somewhat lonely.
• Boredom can include feeling "down" or "empty."
• Maybe you are bored because you're helpless to alter a difficult life situation

3. Boredom and Eating
• Maybe you nibble all day at work to cope with boredom.
• Maybe you take work home and nibble while you work.
• Maybe you watch TV at home out of boredom.
• Maybe you stop on the way home for something to nibble at night while you
watch television.

4. Boredom and Eating
• People fall into a habit of watching TV and eating.
• Maybe that habit has become a ritual.
• Maybe you look forward to your TV-and-eating-ritual, because it brings
comfort.
• Some people, first got in the habit of eating and watching TV, when they were
kids.

5. Boredom and Eating
• If you're bored or feeling down, a habit of eating to block boredom, or other
feelings may be comforting.
• You may start repeating the action of food-in-hand, hand-to-mouth, till you
finish it all.
• Sooner or later you recognize you need to quit eating out of boredom, (or
whatever) because its fattening.

6. Boredom and Eating
• You have a habit you want to quit.
• If you smoked, you would have to get rid of a hand-to-mouth habit.
• Some smokers who can not quit their hand-to-mouth habit try to substitute
candy.
• Sometimes, they find themselves stuck with a hand-to-mouth candy habit.

7. Boredom and Eating
• They substitute one hand-to-mouth habit for another.
• Being smoke-free is great.
• But being overweight is still a health risk.

8. Boredom and Eating
• If your hand-to-mouth habit is connected to boredom, you can probably
change that habit.
• You can do something else with your hands.
• Your mouth will not mind that much.
• Your inner mind holds the key to changing your habit..
• Find the key.

9. Boredom and Eating
• The key that fits best is one that lets you substitute a pleasurable activity for a
habit of eating when you are bored or lonely.
• Ask your inner helper for imagery of fun things to do.
• What will help time pass?
• Concentrate on pleasure.
• Don't be self-critical.
• Definitely, ignore self-criticism.

10. Boredom and Eating
• Stop obsessing about what you should or shouldn't do.
• Stop obsessing about how you compare with other people.
• Spend your thinking-time on self-suggestions about your power to change.
• Use self-suggestion to find imagery to meet your needs.

11. Boredom and Eating
• Through self-suggestion you can imagine alternatives to that hand-to-mouth
habit.
• You can use self-suggestion to imagine an activity that might interest you.
• You can do so many interesting things with your hands.
• You can do so many interesting things with your brain.

12. Boredom and Eating
• Let yourself be curious.
• Go to the next slide.
• Press the audio icon.
• Listen to ways to use self-suggestion to find an alternative to using a hand-to-
mouth habit for boredom and other feelings.
• Repeat this unit as often as needed.

13. Boredom and Eating