When we experience overwhelming feelings, it`s sometimes easier to use things outside ourselves to help us cope. These outlets can be constructive, like exercise or blogging, or destructive, like drinking and drug usage. For some sufferers, food is the outlet they use when feeling out of control emotionally. Emotional eating is a means of soothing upsetting feelings for many sufferers.
For some people, emotional eating just means indulging in a little ice cream after a rough day at work. For lots, however, this is a dangerous addiction that can lead to weight problems and health problems. Many comfort foods are full of calories, sugar, and sodium, which all can cause health issues when eaten in excessive amounts.
There are plenty of factors that can lead to emotional eating. Key life incidences, or even day to day hassles can lead emotional eaters to the fridge. For many, eating can also be a way of relief from boredom. There is a chemical explanation to emotional eating also. Many common comfort foods discharge chemicals or hormones that elevate your feelings, 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 vital to learn how to tell the difference between actual hunger and an emotionally motivated desire to chow down. 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 several manners. It comes on quickly, while physical hunger is gradual. True hunger is a general feeling of emptiness, while emotional hunger will cause you to crave something in particular. Emotional eating is also more likely to make you feel guilt afterwards.
Don`t keep unhealthy foods nearby, because it`s much easier to resist those impulses when temptation isn`t easy to access. Strive to swap calorie laden comfort foods with better for you alternatives. Make a list of activities you can do to amuse yourself when emotional eating hits, such as go for a run, take a quick nap, or read a book. Finally, finding the help of a therapist to address the psychological motivations for emotional eating can be very helpful.
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