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Emotional Eating part 3 – Breaking the Cycle
In Emotional Eating parts one and two I discussed various reasons why we eat, not all of them relating to hunger. I also introduced the idea that we turn to certain foods for emotional reasons, often not being aware that our emotions are in control of what we are doing. In this blog I will talk about ways to break the emotional eating cycle.
As we live our day to day lives there are things that we deal with, things that impact our lives. I will refer to these “things” as stimulus. Our reaction to stimulus I will call a “response”. I am sure many of you have heard the concept of stimulus/response before. Often our response to stimuli happens so quickly, almost automatic, or so it feels. Yet, it does not have to be automatic. Between the stimulus and the response one can put in a “pause”. That pause holds our power and can help us to CHOOSE a response that can be a healthier one.
Before you eat in response to an emotional stimulus you can pause and ask yourself;
Am I hungry? Are you aware of the feelings of hunger?
What am I feeling? Is it an emotion , what does it feel like.
What do I really need? This may be sleep, or a time to relax and get un-stressed
What else can I do? What are some alternatives in the moment. Read a book, take a walk, call a friend, listen to some music, take a deep breath, take a soothing bath.
Can I wait 5 minutes? Often the intensity of the emotion will subside if you ride it out.
How will I feel afterwards? Once you feel in control of how you deal with the emotional stimuli you will feel strong , empowered, focused and in control of the direction you go.
By creating a pause and asking yourself these questions you can choose to respond in a healthier way and begin to break the cycle of swallowing your emotions with food.
To your health,
Lucie
Lucie A. Knapp MSW,LCSW, behavioral therapist and certified life coach. Her website Commit2self.com provides ongoing education, support and motivation for weight loss and total health. Lucie has over 20 years working in weight loss starting as a personal trainer, and then working as a counselor in a major weight loss chain and finally as the Program coordinator of the Lifestyle Coaching Program at the oldest residential weight loss center in the world.
You can email questions or comments to: Lucie@commit2self.com.