Emotional eating is an activity which focuses on consuming relatively large quantities of food in binge-like spurts of time in response to intense internal feelings rather than hunger. Emotional eating is manageable if you are prepared!

1. Learn to recognize your personal emotional eating triggers. Stress and anxiety is one of the most common triggers. Emotional eaters will find comfort in food, attempting to saturate themselves with the endorphins released while coming food and avoiding the underlying stressor or anxiety-inducing factor. Loneliness and boredom is another common trigger. If you find that you are looking inside the fridge every half hour because you have nothing better to do, it may be time to get a hobby, or at least a pet. Anger, frustration, and depression are other common triggers. And, women in particular may emotional indulge themselves as a direct result of PMS (Pre-menstrual syndrome).

2. Brainstorm. List some situations when you feel the pressure of the aforementioned triggers. Brainstorm, either by yourself or with a friend, and try to come up with a couple of alternative activities to engage in when you are experiencing any one of the above emotional triggers.

3. Find healthier rewards for yourself. Don't treat yourself to chocolate cake after you make that big promotion. Instead, treat yourself to a massage, or a yoga class. Be productive with your rewards to yourself.

4. Find support. Food can become an addiction as easily as heroin can for some people, so remember not to be ashamed to ask for help if you need it. Take things slowly. If you feel particularly tempted or weak, call a friend and work out your problem verbally rather than turning to food.

5. Be patient. Recognize the fact the acceptance of this issue and your strategy to overcome it requires a major change in your lifestyle.

Remember that accepting the reasons why you eat the things you eat the way you eat them is a huge step in achieving an understanding of your triggers, and consequentially, a huge step in breaking your destructive emotional eating habit.

Learn more about this author, Krystle Hernandez.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Dealing with emotional eating?
We want to hear your view. Write now!