Eating Disorders

Emotional eating is an issue for many people as stress is a major factor. We turn to sweet and salty snacks to get through stressful events or for comfort after a long day. Have you ever found yourself eating when you are not hungry? Instead, a dreaded phone call, toxic relationship, work burnout, or deadline causes us to seek the serotonin rush of comfort food. There are tasks and lifestyle changes you can implement to stop emotional eating. Tips to stop emotional eating If you find yourself in a pattern of emotional eating at least twice a week for six months or more, you may need professional guidance to help you overcome the urges and behavioral pattern. Counseling can help you learn how to manage your stress more effectively. For example, if your emotional eating is rooted in anger, your counselor may suggest anger management and conflict resolution methods. Emotional eating typically follows a trigger, not just a habit. The trigger may be a negative thought or emotion. When you can identify those thoughts and emotions that send you into a tailspin, you are more likely to overcome emotional eating by reframing those into positive beliefs and feelings and changing your behavior. Hit pause. When you feel the overwhelming urge to turn to food, ask yourself why. Take a moment to pause and reflect on what is driving your behavior. What thoughts are going through your mind? Is it a limiting belief? For example, if you have a deadline looming, are you telling yourself that you can never meet it, so why try? Do you say negative things about yourself? Negative thoughts and limiting beliefs can leave you anxious and depressed, and these emotions are triggers for emotional eating. Journal. Changing your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions may take work [...]