Three Ways to Manage Your Emotions

Emotional eating bubbles up when you don’t want to feel or experience something. Food is always available and seems like an easier route than facing things head on. But the truth is, your feelings just want to be heard and comforted by you. That is the key to breaking out of the emotional eating cycle, not more will power.

This sense of confrontation can feel very scary when you’ve spent years avoiding your feelings, so we’re sharing 3 great ways to get your emotions out in a way that will help you recognize them and move through them—instead of being stuck in the trigger-eat-regret cycle:

Use your voice. One of the best ways to help diffuse the intensity of your emotions is to talk to yourself out loud. This might feel silly at first, but it can be a great way to identify what exactly you are feeling. Find a space alone (the bathroom is a great one!) and start to find your words, for example: “I am feeling really attacked right now”, “I’m so worried I disappointed them and they are going to leave me”, “I am so angry at myself for saying that.” Keep rolling through the thoughts until you feel a sense of relief. You might be tempted to try this in your head, but we encourage you to speak out loud. It can not only disrupt a thought spiral, it is really empowering to hear your own voice speaking up, even in an empty room… And you deserve to be heard!

Grab a pen and paper. If you don’t yet feel ready to try speaking out loud (or have the space), you can still get out of your thought patterns by grabbing paper and something to write with. It can be your journal with full on paragraphs or quick bullets, and it can be really cathartic to scribble, doodle, or underline as you go! If you really want a sense of letting go, once you feel your emotions are on the page (this can feel like a sense of steady breathing or even being less focussed on the foods you want to eat) you can safely burn the paper in your kitchen sink or a pot. This feels powerful and can really signify to your nervous system that your feelings have been released.

Give love to the younger you. Emotional eating can have us say the meanest things to ourselves. The truth is that what we say to ourselves can be a distraction from what we don’t want to feel because it is easier to focus on what you ate than what’s going on deeper. Instead of beating yourself up, close your eyes and picture a younger version of yourself. What is she wearing? Do you remember what it was like to be her? Then, ask this version of you what you need in that moment and then give it to yourself. If it’s a feeling of safety, see if you can find a space to be alone wherever you are. If it’s a sense of comfort, put on your softest clothing and cozy up on your couch. Often the feelings that come up now as adults are rooted in our personal history, wiring our brain to think, feel, and act in a specific way. Listening to younger you is a powerful healing tool!

If you feel like you need more guidance to get clear on how to move through your specific emotions and experiences, contact us and we’d be happy to find a way to support you. You don’t have to do it all alone.

💛 Your peace awaits.