When you hear the words “emotional eating”, what comes to mind? I’m guessing your immediate thoughts are bad, harmful, a negative way to cope, something that needs to be avoided, and so on. But I’m here to tell you: It’s okay.
Emotional eating is just another tool in the toolbox to use when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or any other type of emotion. Food is comforting. Sometimes all we need after a long day is a warm bowl of mac and cheese and THAT IS OKAY. We have taste buds and get a warm and fuzzy dopamine response to food for a reason. We are biologically conditioned to feel comfort from food.
So is emotional eating never a problem? Not exactly. When emotional eating is the ONLY tool in your toolbox to handle your emotions, this is when it becomes something to address. So if you notice that you’re eating emotionally frequently and it’s causing you to feel discomfort and even more emotions afterward, this means it’s time to find some additional tools to add to your toolbox.
So how exactly do you do this? Well ask yourself:
In general, what makes me feel uplifted and positive?
What helps me to calm down/destress when I feel overwhelmed and food isn’t available?
What are some new ways I want to try to cope with emotions that I have not tried before?
Now take your answers to these questions and make a plan.
Let’s say you notice that every Monday you feel extremely stressed at work due to your to-do list and all the things that need to get done for the day. So after work, every Monday, you almost always eat emotionally to relieve some stress. Once this pattern is identified, you can determine what you can add to your routine to handle your stressed-out emotions in another way. An example of this would be, “every Monday after work, I am going to take 30 minutes to work on a puzzle and listen to a comedy podcast.”
The tools you create to cope with emotions don’t need to be complex like going to the gym or doing a 30-minute meditation. It can be as simple as taking a shower or doing a puzzle! Whatever helps you reset, calm down, and clear your mind. I would encourage you to try out a few different coping tools, so you have different tools you can use in different situations.
Some days a puzzle might feel too daunting and overwhelming, and that’s okay! The key is to have a variety of options available that feel good. When a puzzle feels too overwhelming, maybe making a cup of tea is all you can muster up.
If you use another coping tool besides emotional eating and you are still being drawn to the ice cream in the freezer, enjoy some and move on. It is okay to eat emotionally every once in a while, and sometimes that is exactly what you need.
If you’re looking for help with binge eating, emotional eating, or overeating, I can help! Apply to Binge Freedom Breakthrough, my group coaching program where we work on strategies to overcome binge eating once-and-for-all. We focus on our mindset, learning to listen to our body, and approaching external health values gently to create a healthful life you can sustain!
Apply here: https://makainutrition.com/group-coaching/
Reviewed and Edited by Kaitlyn Allen MS, MEd, MS, RD
