 | Joyce A. Thompson is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist (LCMFT). She owns Emotional Journey, LLC, which is a group, private practice made up of both male and females and which is located in Wichita, Kansas. We offer a full range of services including ‘talk’ therapy, sand tray therapy and therapeutic massage which all address the mind/body connection. We specialize in working with individuals (from tot to elderly), couples, families, and groups on a wide variety of issues. We also speak to groups or organizations on a variety of topics and offer chair massage at your business or group event. Emotional Journey, LLC is a member of many organizations, including The Wichita Chamber of Commerce, The Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Wichita Independent Business Association, and The Better Business Bureau. You may learn more by going to our web site: www.emotionaljourney.org, by telephone at (316) 295-4758, or through email: therapists@emotionaljourney.org. |
Health & Wellness
2009-04-01 14:39:00
What is emotional eating?
Question: I have recently heard the term ‘emotional eating’. Is this a real term and if so, what does it really mean? Sometimes when I am upset, I find myself eating lots of junk food. How do my emotions affect what and when I eat?
Answer: There really is such a thing as ‘emotional eating’. It can include binge-eating, grazing and/or eating when not hungry. Although everyone eats comforting foods at one time or another, it’s when food becomes the preferred method of comforting oneself that eating becomes an unhealthy habit. This is when weight gain tends to occur, although not all emotional eaters are overweight. People eat for a multitude of reasons other than hunger. Many people eat when they are happy, sad, angry, bored, fearful, confused – in fact, almost any emotion can trigger emotional eating for many. Sometimes people use the phrase, “I’m starving”, although they’ve just recently finished a meal. Common sense tells them they shouldn’t be hungry, yet they feel famished! Although you may not be aware, there are ways of telling actual hunger from emotional eating.
Physical hunger comes on over time, while emotional hunger tends to happen suddenly (especially is something has happened to arouse your emotions, causing emotional discomfort). Specific cravings can be a sign of emotional eating. When you need to munch on a certain something – when just any old food won’t due, it’s probably emotional eating. When shortly after a meal or a snack you declare, “Gee, I’m still hungry!” Or when you say to another or think to yourself, “I’m still hungry for something, but I don’t know what it is”, then you are probably emotionally eating. There’s almost a sense of being unable to get filled up! Emotional hunger seems to have a sense of urgency to it; as if you can’t eat soon enough, and as if no amount of food can ease the discomfort. It is often followed by a sense of guilt or shame, along with a stomach ache or nausea from overeating. When you are experiencing true hunger, you are able to wait to eat if necessary. Once you begin to eat (and you are willing to eat almost any food that you normally would enjoy), you will soon begin to feel satisfied – both physically and emotionally. You’ll not feel shame or guilt and you’ll be able to stop eating when your stomach tells you that you are full. People sometimes use ‘comfort foods’ to soothe themselves; food can help one to achieve and maintain happier and/or more peaceful feelings at times. Certain foods are more popular than others, with ice cream, chocolate, cookies, chips, pizza, steaks, casseroles, mashed potatoes and gravy being among some of the more popular choices. Sometimes the choice of comfort food depends upon the experience and emotion being felt at that time.
Emotional eating can result in all sorts of problematic areas in your life, including low self-esteem, feelings of guilt and shame, social withdrawal, fear of rejection, lost opportunities in life, etc. In addition, it can result in physical health problems including high blood pressure, fatigue, depression, anxiety, mobility problems, fertility problems, and digestive difficulties, just to name a few.
Emotional eating can be overcome, but first you have to be honest with yourself. You have to recognize that this is how you have learned to cope; it is now a habit. You will first have to learn how to identify the underlying emotions and then learn how to address these emotions in a healthier manner. It can be a difficult process, since emotional eating often begins in childhood (how often do we offer a cookie or a piece of candy to a child because they are being ‘good’?) It is important to realize that emotional eating is not about the food, but about the comfort that it offers.
With the help of a qualified mental health professional in a support group setting, you can learn to identify and then resolve these painful emotions. You can begin to function on a healthier level. You will learn about the top four reasons why people emotionally eat, how to overcome negative thought patterns which can cause weight gain, and the Top 7 Thoughts which can encourage emotional eating. Finally you will learn about Keys to Change Management and surviving with food in the World of Image and Convenience.
