Emotional Eating is normal
Don’t feel guilty but embrace it…
“You are again stress eating!, how careless you are about your health”, “You don’t have a healthy relationship with food”, “You can never be fit if you keep on eating like this” and the best one “You should look at food just as a fuel for your body”.
Do you hear this often from your friends and family or sometimes from that inner critic inside you, after you have eaten to comfort yourself? Does it bother you? Or make you feel guilty?
Read on, you might find this useful…
First of all, food is so much more than just a fuel for our body.
It is an important part of our culture since the beginning of time. We eat certain foods when we celebrate, we eat certain other kind of foods when we are sad. Every home has some traditional family recipes that do not just make people feel connected to each other but are also often the most beneficial for their health.
So, if you feel guilty because you are not able to treat food as just a fuel, let go of that guilt completely. It in an unproductive guilt and is based on a rather narrow perspective.
Emotions can make us reach out for food and it is ok. Positive emotions like excitement, exuberance. Negative emotions like frustration, anger, helplessness. Even neutral emotions such as boredom can compel us to eat. Food is a great way to regulate extreme emotional states, to distract us from unhappy thoughts and to add a little interesting twist to a dull routine.
Then why is everyone talking about Emotional eating in a bad way?
Well, sometimes what happens is, when we are feeling a strong emotion, immediately our brain gives us an instruction to reach out for food. Without allowing us the time to understand it and deal with it in any other way. It makes us reach out for foods which can numb our feelings with their high sugar and fat content, like an ice-cream, a burger, or fries may be.
Has it ever happened with you that after a difficult argument with a colleague or a negative feedback from your boss, you felt like quickly grabbing a bite of your fav chocolate? Of course, yes! It happens with most of us.
Sometimes it is ok, but if this happens continuously over a long period of time, it can impact your health and even push you towards more serious problems such as a full-blown BED (Binge Eating Disorder) which often co-exists with increased anxiety and stress.
Don’t worry, many people throw these terms rather casually these days. Most of the times they are simply experiencing an extended case of emotional eating, which can be easily managed by being a little more “mindful”.
There are various ways to deal with a sudden rush of uncomfortable negative emotions, apart from eating unhealthy food. Sharing a few here –
1. Talk to someone: Sharing how we are feeling with people whom we can trust and who can understand what we are going through is a great way to deal with strong emotions. If you already have such people in your life, you are very lucky. If not, then go out, make a genuine effort to find your tribe, it sure is out there.
2. Write: Write down your thoughts. Immediate thoughts. I am feeling….because…. When it is out there on paper, it sometimes makes us realize that our brain is fooling us with big emotions over a small thing. When our emotions are genuine it acts as great release.
3. Distract: Surround yourself with things which soothe your senses. Listen to your fav music, keep pretty flowers on your desk in office and home, buy some scented candles and diffusers to keep your surroundings aromatic and pleasant, take a warm shower. Giving some time to our feelings helps them settle on their own.
4. Read your old journal entries: If you have a habit of keeping a journal (especially gratitude journal) re-reading your old entries will remind you how resilient you are and also bring back happy memories from past. Like when you read about the time when you felt ecstatic on getting your dream job, you will start experiencing the same emotions that you felt when you wrote that event down.
5. Access to nutritious food: Keep a stock of healthy food around yourself. Easily accessible at eye level in your kitchen and pantry. Prepare dishes which you can keep in fridge stocked up for a day or two. So, in case you do reach out to food for comfort, you will have an option to choose better.
Over time you can develop your own healthy coping mechanisms too. It is actually quite personal and specific to your situation how you choose to manage.
First and foremost, “Love your original self, unconditionally, always”.
Do not beat yourself up if occasionally you give in to the food cravings and eat, to get some relief from emotions. You are not alone and it is absolutely fine.
What do you think about this? Are there any special things you do to manage extreme emotions? Did you find this article helpful?
Share in comments below or write to me at megspeaks.in@gmail.com
Stay Happy! Stay Healthy!
Take care.
