During times of stress, it is important to find ways to comfort ourselves.
The key is to find things that nourish you and benefit your well-being, because sometimes the things we turn to can actually harm us in the long run.
Self-harm, substance abuse and isolation — these are all things we need to be aware of in times of stress and during the healing process.
Food can be a major source of comfort. It is meant to nourish us, and there are ways to ensure that it does. However, during hardship, it isn’t uncommon to alter our diets in such a way that deprives us of being healthy, sustained and nourished.
We may find ourselves using emotional eating because it makes us feel better and acts as a distraction from whatever we may be experiencing.
Eating as a distraction
Have you ever found yourself with a bag of candy that goes from full to empty in about five minutes? Oops. This is an example of eating without awareness, which can often lead us to overeat.
Similarly, unconsciously eating may also be a way to distract ourselves from whatever is causing us discontent.
If you are using food as a distraction, it’s time to revisit your emotions. You may feel like being angry or sad is unproductive, but when you ignore these feelings, you end up with the classic bottled-up emotions and ready-to-explode scenario.
By addressing emotions, you validate yourself and your feelings, which makes you less likely to turn to an unhealthy distraction, like emotional eating.
Addressing emotions
Here are some simple steps to acknowledge feelings:
1. Pause and notice how you are feeling. Note any tension in the body.
2. Try stating exactly how you are feeling. (“I’m so irritated because …”)
3. Continue to stay with this feeling, mentally, physically and emotionally, until you feel some form of release or relaxation. Stay here as long as you need to.
4. When you’re ready, shake out any lingering tension. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
5. Address how you feel after acknowledging your emotions.
This exercise can help create a state of inner calm. The situation may not be resolved, but the goal is not to let it control you or your behavior.
Food as a reward
Perhaps you are perfectly aware of the foods you choose to indulge in, because it’s the one thing you look forward to after a long day. Is food a reward for you? And more importantly, is it high sugar or high fat foods that you crave?
According to a scientific review done by the Food Addiction Institute, sugary or fatty snacks can evoke the same feel-good reaction in our brain that is also evoked by alcohol and other addictive drugs.
In the same review, it is also shown that people who overload on carbohydrates have the same genetic markers that can indicate a drug or alcohol addiction.
Long story short, food can actually be addicting, which can cause emotional or overeating.
Practice self-care
If you are using food as a reward, check in with yourself. Taking care of ourselves can be one of the hardest tasks during trauma or hardship. First, address your physical state. Have you had enough sleep? Are you eating well? Both these things can cause emotional or overeating.
Then, adopt some self-care practices away from food that are rewarding to you. Taking care of yourself will help you avoid using emotional eating as a way of dealing with things.
Here are some self-care suggestions:
• Keep a journal
• Read
• Listen to music
• Spend time with a friend
• Take a bath
• Go for a walk
• Breathing exercises
• Sit quietly
• Meditation
• Dancing
• Exercise
• Draw or color
• Sip tea
Mindful eating
While moving away from emotional eating, it is important to keep an enjoyable attitude about food.
Take the focus away from restrictions, and instead surround yourself with healthier choices. Food should not be your sole source of enjoyment, but it can be a pleasurable experience that benefits your health, rather than negates it.
Many people find joy in cooking and baking. Meal time can and should be a positive experience.
Nutritionist, Emily Potter of NourishMint Wellness, suggests these mindful eating tips:
• Eat meals with friends or family when you can. Eat slowly and talk.
• Make eating an act all by itself. No computer, reading, phone or television.
• Use all your senses. Observe and smell your food, note its texture and taste.
• Put your utensil or food down after every bite you take.
• Chew thoroughly until your food is liquid. You can try counting chews.
• Sit quietly for a few minutes after you finish eating, and consider going for a walk.
One thing to remember when you are dealing with emotional eating is that this is a perfectly normal response to stress. There is no need to feel shameful or guilty, and these attitudes will actually harm your relationship with food. Temporarily, it provides comfort, and that’s OK.
Be mindful of your eating habits, and if you find you use food to cope emotionally, the choice is yours to take steps toward breaking the habit.
