Emotional eating: when food is your escape
Emotional eating is the use of food to cope with negative emotions, such as stress, anxiety, depression, boredom, or loneliness. It is a veeery common behavior and it can be difficult to break.
There are a variety of psychological factors that can play a role in emotional eating. One of them is stress. When we are stressed, our body releases cortisol. Cortisol can increase our appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods.
Another factor is learned behavior. We may have learned to use food to cope with negative emotions from our parents or other caregivers. For example, if a child is always given a cookie when they are feeling sad, they may learn to associate food with comfort.
What to do about emotional eating
If you struggle with emotional eating, there are a number of things you can do to break the cycle.
Identify your triggers. What are the emotions or situations that tend to lead you to overeat? Personally I am triggered by responsibilities that I don't really enjoy or when I get too many things piled up to do. Once you know your triggers, you can start developing strategies to deal with them in a healthy way.
Find alternative coping mechanisms. Instead of turning to food when you feel stressed or anxious, try other activities such as working out, getting some fresh air, a short mindfulness practice, writing about your feelings, or seeking to be with loved ones.
Be mindful of your eating habits. Pay attention to how you are feeling when you eat and how much you are eating. If you find yourself overeating, try to identify the emotions that led to this behavior. In my case, tiredness or pressure are very common triggers.
Seek professional help. If you are struggling to overcome emotional eating on your own, consider talking to a therapist or counselor. They can help you to understand your behavior and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Here are some additional tips:
Keep a food journal. This will help you to track your eating habits and identify any patterns.
Avoid keeping unhealthy foods in your house. If they are not there, you are less likely to eat them.
Don't eat in front of the TV or computer. This can lead to mindless overeating.
Try to listen to your body: at least once in a week, try to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.
It is important to remember that breaking the cycle of emotional eating takes time and effort. Try to be patient, realistic and not hard on yourself: apply one tip/tool at a time and be consistent with it. Focus on small changes instead of giving up in advance because you've failed yet again. Maybe you picked up that tube of cookies and almost ate them all, but you left out one cookie and that's a step up. Be aware that there will be setbacks along the way but, with perseverance, you can learn new alternatives for dealing with your emotions in a healthy way.
