Do you ever find yourself eating to “numb out” your emotions?
Maybe you had a stressful day at work, or got into an argument with your partner, received some bad news, or maybe you are just feeling bored or tired.
As a way to either to comfort yourself or cope with the situation, you find yourself diving headfirst into a tub of ice cream or a bag of chips.
I think most of us have been here at some point in our lives. I know I certainly have. This is something that I struggle with regularly and is the biggest challenge for me when it comes to eating right.
This is called emotional eating.
Emotional eating is so much more common than you might think. According to the American Psychological Association, at least one-third of people have reported they eat more when they are feeling stressed.
The fact is, emotional eating usually starts when we are very young ... and over the years it becomes a habit, so we don’t even realize we’re doing it.
One of the best ways that I have found to help is to try to understand how it affects you and the easiest way to do this is to ask yourself a simple question every time you eat.
Now it’s important you make sure not to do this with any judgment at all because you’re asking it to simply gather information.
WHY are you eating?
If it’s not because you’re physically hungry, you need to dig a little deeper.
Are you upset about something? Are you bored? Or are you eating because you always eat at this time of day? Or are you tired, how have you been sleeping?
Again, don’t judge your answers. Just acknowledge them. Over time, as you ask yourself WHY you’re eating, you will start to notice some patterns.
For example, I have found that the biggest triggers for me are stress, boredom, and not getting enough sleep. I have noticed that I tend to make poor decisions about food when I am feeling tired and generally start to crave more sweet foods, especially chocolate.
Here are some common signs you might be engaging in emotional eating:
First, hunger comes on pretty fast. One minute you’re fine and then the next you want to eat.
Second, you’re only craving certain kinds of foods. Those foods are often comforting snacks and probably aren’t a salad or an everyday meal.
Third, if you do decide to eat, you don’t feel full or satisfied and want to keep eating.
And finally, once you do stop, you feel a little guilty or regret what you ate.
Now, like I said, this is not about judging or beating yourself up for emotional eating.
That’s exactly the opposite of what I’m suggesting.
Instead, it’s about NOTICING the patterns, which helps you to become more mindful of your thoughts, your actions and your habits so you can start making better choices instead of reacting out of habit or old patterns.
You might decide that a particular snack or meal isn’t worth it because it’ll set you back from your goals.
This can be much easier said than done.
I know when I am in this situation, it can be very hard to say no to those cravings. I have found a few things that can help.
Finding a distraction, I tell myself that I will just finish whatever it is that I am doing first - then I can eat. Or find myself a job to do and if I still want to eat the food once I finish, that’s fine, I’ll have it then. Most of the time I find the craving goes away and I don’t want it anymore.
Another helpful strategy is to distance yourself from the situation. Which can be as simple as going for a walk or just getting out of the house and away from the food!
If you do decide that it is worth it and eating that whole block of chocolate is exactly what you need at that moment, which is fine too, the key is to not make it a regular occurrence, be gentle on yourself and move on.
But the important thing in both instances is that YOU made the decision …. instead of just coasting on autopilot.
I hope all that makes sense and I hope that you find it helpful!
Leave a comment and let me know if this is something you deal with too or what you do to distract yourself.
