When we have strong feelings, it`s human nature to rely on things external to ourselves to help us manage. These outlets can be constructive, like exercise or blogging, or negative, like getting drunk and drug usage. For some sufferers, food is the outlet they rely on when feeling negative emotions. Emotional eating is a means of soothing upsetting feelings for many sufferers.
For some folks, emotional eating just means eating a little ice cream after a hard day at work. For many, however, this is a dangerous coping mechanism that can lead to obesity and health issues. Many comfort foods are full of calories, sugar, and sodium, which all can cause health problems when devoured in large amounts.
There are many things that can cause emotional eating. Important life events, or even daily annoyances can lead emotional eaters to the refrigerator. For many, eating can also be a means of relief from boredom. There is a chemical explanation to emotional eating as well. Many popular comfort foods release chemicals or hormones that improve your disposition, so they are chemically as well as psychologically calming.
Emotional eating is a hard habit to get out of. However, there are man suggestions to help quit this dangerous tendency. It`s important to learn how to tell the difference between real hunger and an emotionally motivated desire to eat. If you know that you aren`t really hungry, give it a few minutes to see if the urge fades. Emotional hunger differ(s) from physical hunger in a few manners. It comes on fast, while actual hunger is gradual. Actual hunger is a broad sensation of emptiness, while emotional hunger will make you crave something in particular. Emotional eating is also more likely to cause feelings of shame afterwards.
Don`t keep comfort foods in your home, because it`s much less difficult to fight those urges when inducement isn`t readily available. Strive to trade fattening comfort foods with healthier alternatives. Make a list of activities you can do to distract yourself when emotional eating threatens, such as go for a run, take a short nap, or read a book. Finally, seeking the help of a counselor to address the psychological reasons for emotional eating can be very helpful.
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