How to Stop Emotional Eating
Are you tired of feeling tired and stressed all the
time? Of course, there are many causes of stress
and fatigue. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that how
you eat contributes to those feeling states as well.
You probably know which foods are contributing to
those feelings.
Then why don't we honor the signals our body
sends out?
Simple . . . emotions.
You are most vulnerable to overeating when you are
in a state of "tense tiredness".
It's 3 pm . . . your boss wants 3 reports done before
you leave for the day. There is no way you can get
them all done.
You come home from a long day at work. You are
exhausted and just need to rest, but chaos awaits
you at home. The kids need help with homework . . .
everyone is starving . . . the dog needs to go for a
walk.
You just need rest, but you don't get it.
It is in these vulnerable moments that you reach for
comfort food.
No matter what is causing your stress, you have
your vulnerable times.
You probably aren't physiologically hungry, but you
have EMOTIONAL needs.
That's right. There is a TRUE NEED, but it is a
NONFOOD need.
So when you find yourself in that position, stop and
ask these 3 questions:
Am I hungry?
How do I feel?
What do I need?
Let the answers come to you and see if you can act
accordingly, at least some of the time.
That means if you are tired, rest or take a nap!
If you are lonely, call a friend. If you are stressed, do
some breathing exercises to calm down before you
go on with your day.
If you can't act in accordance with what you need,
you have some habit-breaking to do.
You are in the habit of disregarding what your body
needs and using food to soothe emotions and
stress.
It's ok, we all develop habits that need breaking at
times.
Keep working on it.
The more aware you are about this problem, the
better you will be at creating solutions for it.
Emotional eating can start as a response to feelings
and quickly develop into a habit.
It may not be easy, but habits can be broken.
The more you are present in your body, the more
you will be able to match your behavior to your
actual needs.
What's important to be really, really honest with
yourself.
