Emotional eating triggers are often complex. Perhaps you’re bored, stressed, sad, lonely or anxious. Commonly having a hard day at work can lead to that need to reward yourself for getting through it.
For many, emotional eating has become a coping mechanism – a relief, distraction or escape. Yet it seldom brings comfort- the benefit is mostly short lived. And commonly feelings of shame guilt and self-loathing follow – not the reward you were looking for.
Eating a packet of biscuits is often the automatic response rather than working out what you really need. This might be to de-stress, find stimulation or get some rest. Mostly this survival mechanism has become a habit. Chances are, you have been conditioned to reward yourself with food, often from early childhood. And many of us are almost completely out of touch with our own bodies –which is what makes it so challenging.
When working with clients, the aim is to build in more appropriate ways of making yourself feel better by prioritising self-care and turning to non-food related rewards instead. We all deserve and need time to do positive things for ourselves - without feelings of guilt.
It can be a really empowering exercise to take a look at what you might normally do to reward yourself and think, are these helpful or do I need to replace them. And then spend some time to identify some activities that you can build into your daily life.
What would you like to spend more time doing?
What would make you feel good?
What would help you relax or de-stress?
Here are a few examples:
· Listening to calming music
· A few minutes of yoga/ pilates
· A gentle walk in peaceful surroundings
· Reading a favourite magazine
· Sitting quietly in the garden
· A soak in the bath
· Phoning a good friend
· 10 minutes of quiet relaxation
Use this as an opportunity to improve the quality of your life and build in new ways of feeling joy and enriching your experience of life.
The simple steps to take:
1. Identify when you are using food as a reward or to make yourself feel better.
2. Choose a few alternative things you can do instead to make yourself feel good (that do not involve food).
3. Try out the new choices - see what works well for you.
4. If something doesn’t work, change it or add to it until you find the right solution.
5. Keep practising it until it becomes automatic. You might find you don’t always manage - this isn’t about berating yourself. Instead observe without judgment what might have happened and try again next time.
FREE DAILY SUPPORT
If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges
If any of these resonate then this community is for you :
💠You are on and off diets all the time
💠You find yourself binge eating
💠You are an ‘emotional eater’
💠You restrict food in order to lose weight
💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food
💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat