Emotional Eating

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Overeating junk food

Hopefully, Thanksgiving is more about gratitude and family than food, but there’s no denying the central role eating plays in this holiday. Simply add some tense family drama, which is common, and you have the perfect conditions for emotional eating. How big a problem? Surveys show up to 40% of us are anxious about over-consumption during the holidays which, ironically, makes emotional eating more likely.

“I overeat when I’m anxious or depressed, and it’s messing with me big time,” Tina confessed. 

There’s no question that when we scarf down food to self-regulate our emotions, we undermine our physical health, but it also proves damaging to mental wellness. Guilt and self-reproach are frequent impacts in this regard. So why do so many of us do it? Clearly, it’s a misguided effort to feel better. Problem is the opposite occurs.  

Dopamine Anticipation

Ironically, for those like Tina, the most enjoyable part of emotional eating often occurs before food passes their lips. When anticipating a meal, the brain exudes dopamine, a feel-good neurochemical that enhances mood. This anticipatory reinforcement can contribute to a compulsive feedback loop that borders on addiction. 

Indulging provides immediate benefits, as well. Food is a psychoactive drug, so when the high carb, bad fat and sugary stuff that usually passes as comfort food hits the brain, the impact is palpable. Endorphins (naturally occurring opioids) kick in, quieting the mind and easing anxiety, thereby ensuring a brief oasis of feeling better.

However, emotional eaters find little lasting comfort in their culinary ministrations. What small solace they gain is transitory. The high of anticipation and the calming of indulgence rapidly morph into an unpleasant and often prolonged period of self-recrimination.

Mindless Munching

Conventional wisdom suggests emotional eating stems from a lack of self-control or will power, but that’s a simplistic explanation. There are many catalysts, but among the most common is mindlessness. 

“I’ll catch myself halfway through a binge and realize I don’t remember how I got there,” Tina explained.

That’s why mindful eating proves helpful for folks struggling to consume nutritious food in reasonable portions. Using one’s senses to fully and slowly savor a meal makes the experience both more enjoyable and healthier. Mindful eaters consume less, feel more satisfied and don’t suffer self-loathing when finished.

Other common instigators include overwork, poor sleep, emotional hijacking and mental fatigue. All of these deplete our energy. After a taxing day of work, parenting or domestic duties, or a lousy night’s repose, we may try to refill our empty mental tanks with goodies that are actually baddies.   

As Tina noted, “I feel like I deserve to eat what I want as compensation for working so hard.”

Healthy Habits  

After a tough day, we all need something to look forward to, but that shouldn’t be crappy food and lots of it. Those who use other ways to recharge (exercise, meditating, hobbies, nature interaction, time with the pets, etc.) have a much easier time embracing healthy culinary habits.

Of course, as the term implies, some emotional eating stems from an inability to cope with difficult feelings. If we don’t have healthier ways to address anger, sadness or agitation, then we may unconsciously revert to what we learned as babies when our parents fed us so we’d stop fussing and chill out. Consequently, sometimes we must dive deeper into this self-sabotaging behavioral pattern and address the vexing emotions and old mental scripts that set it in motion. 

Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” However, what we eat, how much we eat and why we eat determine whether food is more like medicine and less like poison.

For more, visit philipchard.com.