Dealing with False Hunger-How to Stop Emotional Eating
In this post, we will see how to stop emotional eating which is a very common habit found in people who are facing severe as well as small emotional troubles.
Emotional eating in simple words when you eat to feel good rather than to satisfy hunger.
Many food companies use this “food and mood” relationship to boost up their sales with the help of marketing strategies that promotes the idea that their product can make people happy.
You are very lucky if you are able to discern that you have a habit of eating not just to satisfy hunger but for seeking some kind of relief or mental satisfaction from food because most people don’t even know that they have this problem.
People who are indulged in binge eating can be seen keeping something to eat beside them while doing various other activities and they also overeat without realizing that they are already full.
Undoubtedly, eating more than required is not good for your physical health but it is also a symptom of a mental issue which you might be ignoring.
It is perfectly alright to use food to feel happy at times but when you continuously seek “relief” by eating when you are sad, stressed, angry, frustrated or bored then it is very important to take the necessary actions.
Most people eat when they are bored and that is just an illusion created by an emotional need which portrays eating as something “exciting” when you are bored, however, even after eating you will still feel the same.
Same goes with any other emotion, eating something promises to give a “relief” and once you have finished eating you will find yourself back in the previous state.
So, I am now going to write a few things that will help you to get rid of the habit of binge eating:-
Eat when You Are Actually Hungry
A person having the problem of comfort eating forgets the signs of real hunger, emotional hunger starts to feel like the actual one to them.
When you don’t eat properly when you are actually hungry you are then catalyzing your improper eating habits.
It is not very difficult to differentiate between real hunger from emotional ones because real hunger starts as a little urge to eat and gradually grows whereas emotional hunger is felt all of a sudden with a strong irresistible need to eat(mostly something specific).
By recognizing true hunger and eating properly at that time you can help yourself to fight with the habit of binge eating.
Mindful Eating
When a person eats to feel in certain way, they are not at all conscious of what they are doing and they end up finishing the food item without enjoying it.
So, when you find yourself eating for emotional reasons just pay attention to the taste/smell of the food by being mindful.
If you will pay more attention while you are eating you will be able to shift your focus to the enjoyment of the food and thus you can detach yourself from the feeling that caused you to eat.
Be at Peace with Your Feelings
We try to use food as an escape from various types of emotional states but, one must understand that there is no way to run away from your natural feelings.
The only way to get rid of lower emotional states is to accept it and experience it without resistance.
Even when you do anything (like eating) to feel better you are creating an illusory external aid that will liberate you from your troublesome feelings.
Just allow yourself to be totally at peace with whatever feelings you are having and you will naturally come out of that state with time.
Find Other Ways to Make Yourself Happy
When you feel a strong urge to eat just take a good look at your emotional state and find out if you are feeling that urge due to some kind of emotional need.
Are feeling bored? Stressed out? Sad ? Frustrated? – If yes, then try to find other ways to make yourself feel good.
It could be taking a nature walk, long drive, body massage, movie, music or anything that can make you feel good.
Get Proper Sleep
A good sleep is essential for both healthy body as well as healthy mind.
Where sleeping for more than 7 hours is necessary to stay away from many mental illnesses it also plays a good role in the biological mechanism that produces hunger.
It is said that sleeping for fewer hours can cause imbalance in hormones that makes you feel hungry, this could result into comfort eating.
Plan Your Day
Emotional eating is sometimes a byproduct of a disorganized lifestyle and so are negative feelings.
If you will plan your day in a way that keeps you engaged and content at the same time then you can beat comfort eating very easily. Not only that, a healthy lifestyle can help a person overcome their various emotional troubles.
Exercise, enough exposure to nature, healthy foods, meditation, constructive use of mind, proper sleep, etc. are part of a healthy lifestyle which can easily help anyone to stay away from unhealthy habits like binge eating.
Looking for an advanced solution for unhealthy eating habits and food cravings? I would suggest you to read the e-book by Kristin named End Binge Eating Now which has helped many people to overcome this problem.
You may also be interested in reading my post on the connection between weight loss and one’s mindset.
I hope you liked reading this post. I would love to hear from you so, please do write me in the box below. If you have something to add here then you are most welcome.
You can send your emails using the contact page, I will be more than happy to help you with any of your issues.
If this post was helpful to you then please spread the word by sharing it on your online social networks.
