Many of us have become complacent in our lives. The daily routine of life seems to pull us relentlessly like the tides of the ocean, taking us one way in the morning and right back to the same place in the evening. While such predictability can be comforting at times, often it causes the joy and meaning of life to be slowly washed away like the sands of time.

We all have goals in life that we want to acheive. Most people also have a goal of how much weight they'd like to lose. But in today's "instant gratification" world, we often spend more time thinking about the goal itself, and not enough time exploring the path that takes us there.

Among the many strategies for coping with and combating stress eating is one originally developed by Dr. Roger Callahan, but popularized by Paul Mckenna on his national TV show "I Can Make You Thin." It is known as the "Tapping Technique." It involves tapping on specific acupuncture points in a designated pattern. You can view Paul McKenna demonstrating this in front of a live studio audience (click here) .

Stress eating is by far the most common eating trigger that I see in my clinical practice. I would estimate that 75% of people who fill out our initial intake survey state that stress is a major provoker of their eating. I have often said that our brains were originally designed to accomplish three basic things: find food, seek out shelter, and procreate! However, in our daily lives, our poor brains are called upon to multi-task in ways we were never designed for, creating stresses that were never seen before the modern age.

There are many techniques that you can learn to help you reduce stress without resorting to food. The key is to understand that many times when your brain is shouting "GIVE ME FOOD!" it may not be because you are truly hungry. If you think you might be responding to stress signals instead of true hunger, it's time to pull out your favorite stress reducing techniques. Many of them can be done right on the spot, regardless of where you are.

We've all see the reality shows in which experts make over people's wardrobes, homes...even their external appearance through plastic surgery. But rarely do you hear anyone looking to have a Mental Makeover.