Are you an emotional eater? Do you use food to stuff feelings? Are you grabbing for the cookies or pizza when you feel angry, hurt, or disappointed? The truth is, food is comforting and nurturing—we all need it to survive and support the health of our bodies and minds. Why then, do we overeat, or choose foods that we know are not good for us? A physiological process is going on when we digest. Our breath slows down, and generally the energy concentrated in the fight or flight, sympathetic nervous system, shifts to the parasympathetic in order to digest our food. If nothing else, we get a signal from our brains that digestion is going on, so calm down and have a rest so the stomach can process the intake!
If you have not learned to calm down on your own after being stirred up emotionally, chances are you will reach for some food. Emotional eating has its consequences, though, as many people are aware of weight gain, higher cholesterol, sugar imbalances, higher blood pressure…the list goes on.
There are ways out of this pattern, however, but it requires both knowledge and awareness of when it’s happening, assistance in clearing the trigger response to soothing with food, and practicing replacement behaviors that will create a similar calming effect.
Before reaching for the bag of chips when you are fuming mad, first try noticing your heart rate. Is it pumping like a race-car engine? Are your palms getting sweaty, and your jaw is clenched? Just notice. What just happened? What set you off? Put one hand on your belly and another on your chest. Is your breath going all the way down into your abdomen? Chances are that it isn’t. See if you can consciously bring it down to expand your abdomen. Now do it again. Walk out of the kitchen if you are there.
Now ask yourself: Am I in hunger or am I in pain? What is nurturing me right now? Do I appreciate (or criticize) myself? Am I wanting someone else’s love or appreciation that I am not receiving?
You may need to walk around the house, write, or draw for five minutes to move some of these feelings. The trick is to catch yourself in the habit before or as it starts..anger or hurt response…immediately walking towards the kitchen..and intercept it. Give that loving attention to yourself by validating your need for care with self-appreciation.
