When we experience difficult emotions, it`s human nature to rely on things external to ourselves to help us survive. These coping mechanisms can be positive, like working out or blogging, or destructive, like drinking and drugs. For some people, food is the outlet they rely on when feeling out of control emotionally. Emotional eating is a means of soothing worrisome emotions for many people.
For some people, emotional eating simply means eating a little ice cream after a rough day at work. For many, however, this is a unhealthy addiction that can lead to weight problems and health troubles. Many comfort foods are full of calories, sugar, and salt, which all can lead to health complications when devoured in excessive quantities.
There are plenty of factors that can trigger emotional eating. Major life events, or even day to day annoyances can send emotional eaters to the fast food drive thru. For some, eating can also be a way of relief from boredom. There is a chemical explanation behind emotional eating additionally. Many popular comfort foods discharge chemicals or hormones that improve your disposition, so they can be chemically as well as psychologically comforting.
Emotional eating is a difficult habit to get out of. However, there are man things you can do to help quit this dangerous habit. It`s important to understand how to tell the difference between true hunger and an emotionally motivated urge to eat. If you know that you aren`t actually hungry, give it some time to see if the urge passes. Emotional hunger differ(s) from physical hunger in a few manners. It comes on fast, while physical hunger is slower. Actual hunger is a broad feeling of emptiness, while emotional hunger will lead you to crave something specific. Emotional eating is also more likely to make you feel guilt afterwards.
Don`t keep unhealthy foods in your home, because it`s much easier to resist those urges when temptation isn`t readily available. Strive to trade fattening comfort foods with healthier alternatives. Make a list of activities you can do to amuse yourself when emotional eating threatens, such as go for a run, take a brief nap, or read a magazine. Finally, finding the help of a counselor to address the psychological motivations for emotional eating can be very helpful.
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