Emotional eating is simply the act of using food to cope with an emotion that we are feeling, and it is important to understand that this is a natural human response, and it isn’t inherently bad. It is triggered by emotions instead of true physical hunger and sometimes it can become difficult to distinguish between the two creating a habitual pattern in eating to cope with a particular emotion. Unfortunately, just like any other behavior or habit that we pick up, it can turn into something that you feel like you do not have control over, almost as if it has become an autopilot response that you are no longer aware of. I call this the emotional eating cycle because it can be difficult to break the cycle from it continuing to happen.
Emotional eating doesn’t always look like eating a pint of ice cream after a boyfriend dumps you. It can also look like eating to:
- pass the time (boredom)
- comfort you because you feel lonely
- calm your anger
- comfort you after experiencing a loss (grief)
- to celebrate a holiday or achievement
- ease the feelings of stress
- to fulfill an unmet need or emptiness
- ease feelings of shame or guilt
- to numb feelings you don’t want to feel
Like I mentioned above, emotional eating isn’t always bad. When we celebrate occasions and eat during the happy and joyous feelings that is also considered emotional eating.
For me, my emotional eating has showed up in a few different ways over the years. It looked like eating out of boredom when I was young because my older siblings moved out and I became what felt like an only child. It looked like eating when I was sad and feeling depressed, and this was usually because I was depressed about my body.
It also looked like eating late at night while I was up late finishing college assignments to help deal with the stress and sleep deprivation caused by school, work, and raising a child.
And now, emotional eating still shows up for me sometimes, but I am now aware of it and have the ability to make the choice if I want to continue or not. Awareness of your emotional eating alone makes a huge difference in the control you have.
When we operate without awareness, we lose control.
Why do you keep eating your emotions?
Biologically and physiologically humans are designed to feel good when they eat because when it comes to survival, eating keeps us alive. When we eat there is a dopamine release from the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that our nervous system uses to send messages between nerve cells providing a feeling of euphoria which makes us keep coming back for more, ultimately keeping us fed and alive.
Stressful situations or ongoing unmanaged stress stimulate cortisol to be released. Cortisol causes us to crave sweet and salty foods making it very easy to reach for something to eat when stressed even if we aren’t experiencing physical hunger. Fueled by cortisol and rewarded by dopamine, emotional eating can quickly become a go-to coping mechanism for stress.
What can I do to break the cycle of emotional eating?
When we face difficult situations that we haven’t developed coping skills for yet, we revert to tried and true coping skills, like eating food. It isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing to use food for comfort, however, it shouldn’t be the only coping mechanism you have. It also needs to be a conscious choice.
When trying to figure out why you are stuck in the cycle of emotional eating, ask yourself if the eating is the main problem or is there another problem you’re dealing with that is causing the emotional eating. Being honest with yourself is the only way to get to the bottom of what is going on and claiming your power back.
It is important for you to know that you are not alone and many people struggle with the same problem of the emotional eating cycle. If you are ready to get off this cycle, you are invited to join a free 3-day mini-workshop that focuses on understanding your emotional eating and the action steps necessary to break the cycle.
This LIVE workshop begins on February 1st, 2023!
