Controlling Emotional Eating through Mindfulness
One thing that we all have in common here on Earth is that we eat. We literally need food to survive. In fact, for the majority of us, our days are planned around food. Food brings us together, socially, romantically, even spiritually. Food unites our families and strengthens friendships. Business deals are often made over lunches and dinners. Milestones, holidays, and birthdays are (normally) celebrated with food. With food comes great joy. Food can heal the body, reverse signs of aging, improve digestion, and lower cholesterol. We can reach optimal health through food. However, this is a two way street. If food is misused (and I am speaking behalf of the people that have the privilege to buy food and frequent restaurants), or we reach towards large quantities of food with little nutritional value, food can become a drug — a drug that has massive, often negative, control over our lives.
Let me explain.
In western society, people are running on stress. Fear of the future, stress from work, pressure to take care of the family, health issues, financial worries, trying to live in this “new normal”, the list goes on. We thrive off of being busy and tend to find familiarity in stress. Negative feelings become a void, leaving us with a sensation of “emptiness” or “not being in control”. In effort to reverse these feelings, escape from the pain, or gain control, we reach for food. I, myself, have spent time in this not-so-fun place.
Emotional eating is when we use food, usually junk food in unhealthy amounts, in response to our emotional needs. About 75% of overeating is caused by our emotions.
Signs of Emotional Eating:
Eating more when you feel stressed
Eating when you’re not hungry or already full
Eating to soothe yourselves
Rewarding yourself with food
Eating until you’re stuffed
Eating to feel safe
Feeling powerless or out of control around food
Please know you’re not alone, and almost everyone has experienced emotional eating at some point in their lives. But also know that suppressed emotions cannot be filled with food — or the debilitating, consuming cycle of guilt, shame, and self-hatred that washes over after a binge will continue.
Emotional eating can show up in many forms. As humans we are all unique, and therefore express our feelings in different ways. EE can show up from sadness, anger, loss, social anxiety, trauma, money fears, lack of self-worth, body shaming, and/or trying to take “control” of our lives (to name a few). When I used food to cope in the past, I was mentally not in a healthy place. These sensations surfaced after a tough job when I was 23, which left me feeling anxious, “powerless”, and on-edge. Over the years, I had to re-learn how to have a healthy relationship with myself — mind, body, and soul. Not thinking I would ever fully heal, I started to notice results when I began using mindfulness practices and techniques to improve my life. I realized it was not about the food. It boiled down to my lack of control I had over my own emotional well-being. I can now thankfully say I have fully healed.
In order to change the patterns and kick emotional eating to the curb, I listed 10 Steps to help you on your own inner healing journey.
Recognize the difference between Emotional Hunger and Physical Hunger. Sometimes this difference can be tricky, but here are a few tips. EH comes on suddenly, while PH is more gradual. EH craves specific unhealthy foods for an instant rush. EH also leads to mindless eating - eating a whole pint of ice cream or an entire bag of chips. EH is not satisfied when full, and leads to feelings of guilt after eating.
Identify emotional triggers. Stress, “stuffing down” emotions, boredom, feeling of emptiness or unworthiness, social influences, depression, etc.
Journaling to log when you are feeling the urge to reach for the box of cookies, and look at the thought pattern that is triggering the binge eating emotion.
Call a trusted friend or family member when the urge arises.
Make emergency packs — proportion healthy snacks into a small bag or container.
Inner child healing — most of the time our eating habits relate back to a trauma or situation as a young kid or teen.
Ten deep breaths, slowly.
Yoga and/or Meditation, first thing in the morning. Research shows that Yoga helps reduce unhealthy emotional eating. Through Yoga and Meditation, you align the mind, body, soul, training the mind to focus and be more present. The higher part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) becomes more engaged, decreasing impulsive decisions made by the lower part of the brain.
Mantras and the power of ‘I AM’ - I recommend the book “You Can Heal Your Life” by, Louise Hay.
No More Body-Shaming — making it a point to stop reading magazines, scrolling social media accounts, and/or following people that promote unhealthy body images or unrealistic expectations on how to “look”.
Do you struggle with Emotional Eating? Feel free to reach out, or schedule a Free 20 Min Wellness Call with Nat. Please know you’re not alone. You CAN and WILL heal.
