When you face the level of stress our society tends to live with, many people turn to food for comfort. There is nothing wrong with enjoying food or even using it for comfort at times. However, it can be helpful to realize when we are doing this, so we can make conscious choices that we will not regret.
Leaning on food to fulfill an emotional need rather than a physical one is referred to as emotional eating. Most of the time people do not realize that they are doing this. Bringing their awareness to this habit can help them break out of cycles that may not be serving them.
Let’s look at emotional eating and explore some strategies to help break the habit.
Emotional Eating
Emotional eating is an attempt to self-soothe difficult feelings. It can be a way of numbing your feelings temporarily when you feel sad, anxious, lonely, angry, or bored. When you reach for food to fill an emotional need rather than a physical one, it is called emotional eating.
Not only are you distracted by the sweet or salty tastes, but it can affect the chemicals in your body. When you consume sugar, for example, your brain produces a surge of dopamine. Since dopamine is known as the feel-good hormone in the body, it brings a temporary feeling of relief or delight.
While it may be soothing in the moment, it doesn’t effectively deal with the underlying emotions and often leads to regret. It can lead to feelings of guilt and uncomfortable physical sensations associated with overeating.
Emotional eating may create unintended health consequences if you indulge in it often. There are many better ways to soothe yourself, but first, you need to recognize when you are attempting to eat your emotions.
Paying Attention
You may not even realize if you are emotionally eating, so the first thing to do is cultivate self-awareness. By listening to your body and paying attention to the clues, you can determine if you are truly hungry.
Before you eat, ask yourself how you feel. Are you sad, lonely, angry, or bored? If you are experiencing a difficult emotion, ask yourself if you are trying to meet an emotional need or if you are physically hungry.
It can be hard to tell, but the Mayo Clinic has identified some things to consider. For instance…
- Physical hunger generally comes on gradually after a period of not eating, while emotional hunger can come on suddenly even if you have eaten recently.
- Physical hunger is felt in the stomach, while emotional hunger is felt in the mind.
- Physical hunger often builds gradually, while emotional hunger tends to demand an immediate response.
- Emotional hunger often feels like it can only be satisfied with a specific type of food, while physical hunger can be satisfied with a variety of options.
- Emotional eating often makes you feel ashamed, while eating for physical reasons just ends up leaving you satisfied.
Choosing
Once you know what is motivating your desire to eat, you can intentionally choose your response. There is no right choice for every situation, but it is wise to make the decision consciously.
Instead of emotional eating, you may choose to…
- Distract yourself - watch a show, read a book, or engage in a hobby.
- Remove yourself from the situation - leave the room, go for a walk, or take a drive.
- Reach out to a friend - call, text, or visit a friend.
- Lean into the difficult emotion - let it wash over you, knowing it is temporary.
- Do self-care - journal, create something artistic, or enjoy some tea.
- Rest - nap if you are tired or sit outside for a minute.
- Exercise - even gentle movement can be beneficial.
- Practice mindfulness - practice deep breathing or choose a self-compassion exercise.
Emotional eating may be a tool you learned to keep you safe from emotions that feel too uncomfortable. But it is possible to learn other ways to deal with these difficult emotions, so you do not have to rely on emotional eating any longer.
Be gentle with yourself in this process. If you choose to deal with your feelings by eating, celebrate the fact that you decided to do so consciously. Eventually, you can develop the tools you need to soothe yourself in other ways.
Dr. Jamie