Dealing with Your Emotions Without Turning to Food
If you’re like a lot of people, you might head for the fridge when you’re feeling stressed, lonely, or bored — even though you’re not truly hungry. This is called “emotional eating.”
Before you know it, the food is gone, but your worries are still there. You might also feel guilty or mad at yourself for overeating. You may even be so frustrated; you decide to give up on your weight loss plans altogether.
It’s no secret that a lot of us engage in emotional eating. Whether you are anxious, stressed, depressed and upset at any point in your life, food can always “be there” for you as a coping mechanism. However, using food as a means of a coping mechanism isn’t the answer, and can actually do a lot more harm than good.
If you have already realized that you are an emotional eater or even have a binge eating problem (or both), the good news is, it’s okay, and all hope is not lost.
It’s a very real issue, and it can be helped and improved.
1. First, figure out why you’re emotionally eating
When emotional eating/food cravings arise for you, can you name what unprocessed emotions are underlying?
There is always a reason behind emotional eating – maybe you had a horrible day at work, times are tough financially, or you got into a fight with a loved one. It could be anything, even if you don’t realize it. It’s best to analyze the situation when you feel like eating and identify if you’re actually hungry or just trying to use it as a way of coping.
It’s also important to note how you feel when you’re craving food. Are you stressed or anxious? Maybe you’ve been dealing with a bit of a depressive episode. If you’re feeling any of these negative ways, then it might be a good idea to avoid food, so you don’t emotionally eat and binge out. You really do have to analyze the situation throughout in order to truly find out the cause of your emotional eating.
2. Take 5
Can you put off eating for five minutes? Start with one minute. Don’t tell yourself you can’t give in to the craving; remember, the forbidden is extremely tempting. Just tell yourself to wait.
While you’re waiting, check in with yourself. How are you feeling? What’s going on emotionally? Even if you end up eating, you’ll have a better understanding of why you did it. This can help you set yourself up for a different response next time.
3. Journal your binge-eating episodes
A lot of people who struggle with binge-eating report feeling shameful or guilty after having a binge-eating episode and would rather forget it. However, in this case, it is important to keep track of your binges and everything you’re feeling through it. This means writing down how you feel before you binge, during your binge, and after your binge.
You may also want to keep track of the food you’re eating as well. Many people often report eating very unhealthy foods during binges that would otherwise be “forbidden”, “bad”, or something they wouldn’t normally eat, such as pizza, ice cream, chips and dips, etc. in large quantities.
4. Now it’s time to combat the emotional need to eat
At this point, you’ve identified why you’re emotionally eating or binge-eating, what your trigger feelings and foods are, and now it’s time to combat it. This does takes effort, and is easier said than done, and you might even slip up a few times, but as long as you try, that’s all that matters. You’ll want to see if it’s true hunger or emotional hunger next time an episode begins to manifest and truly fight the urge to give in.
Another way to help in combating emotional eating is to remove any “trigger foods” from your home – that means any food you’ll reach for when you emotionally eat or binge-eat. Instead of isolating yourself in times of anxiety or stress, it’s best to busy yourself with something or someone and truly fight the urge. Overtime, it will become easier and easier to say “no” to emotional eating.
5. Support yourself with healthy lifestyle habits
Make daily exercise a priority. Physical activity does wonders for your mood and energy levels, and it’s also a powerful stress reducer. And getting into the exercise habit is easier than you may think.
Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night. When you don’t get the sleep, you need, your body craves sugary, heavy crab foods that will give you a quick energy boost. Getting plenty of rest will help with appetite control and reduce food cravings.
Make time for relaxation. Give yourself permission to take at least 30 minutes every day to relax, decompress, and unwind. This is your time to take a break from your responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
Connect with others. Don’t underestimate the importance of close relationships and social activities. Spending time with positive people who enhance your life will help protect you from the negative effects of stress.
6. Reconnect with self
Accurately listen to and trust your body’s signals
Don’t suppress or avoid negative emotions; stay tuned in and learn to lovingly accept your emotions without judgment, rather than turning to food to escape it
Stress, lack of sleep, and other emotional challenges can also lead to overeating or making less healthy choices.
Are YOU READY to learn how to beat common challenges to eating well and staying at a healthy weight with little to no stress?
I’ve been there and now feel completely liberated. I’d love to share with you how I freed myself from those chains that held me down