What Emotional Eating Gives You Part 2!

We recently did a post about what emotional eating gives you. In this second part, we’ll take a look at what else you can do to give yourself the feelings you crave when reaching for your favourite foods.

But first, we want to remind you that there is no such thing as perfect. Of course, supporting your mental health is an important way to lessen the desire to eat emotionally, but we will also be the first to tell you that food will always provide comfort. Experiences will come up in your life that make you feel upset, and that is normal and ok! We wouldn’t know how happy we could be without knowing how sad or frustrated or angry we can also be. As humans we are built to experience the full range of emotions.

Of course, there are tools and strategies to help you feel more comfortable around food and strong emotions, but expecting perfection—that you’ll NEVER eat emotionally again—just isn’t true (that totally goes for us too!). Showing yourself some compassion when feelings bubble up is so important.

So, with that in mind, here are some ways to meet the needs you are turning towards food for.

Distraction

This is exactly as the word means: food provides a distraction from what you *don’t* want to feel. If you are seeking distraction and feel like experimenting coping without food, you can try:

• Watching a movie or TV show.
• Art of some sort (ex: colouring, sketching, writing, making jewelry!)
• Going for a walk.

Pleasure

This is a tricky one because pleasure can come in all kinds of forms: comfort, human contact, relaxation. So, this list varied:

• Cuddle with your partner or pet.
• Book a massage.
• Take a hot shower or bath.
• Put on your comfiest clothes.

Control

So many of us want to control what food we put in our bodies when everything feels like it is spirally, from our jobs to how our family acts to world events. In this scenario, consider the things you can control:

• Make a to do list of small tasks and tick them off (like brushing your teeth or emptying the dishwasher).
• Say “no” to social obligations you don’t want to go to.
• Take $10 and decide how you want to spend it: on a new lip colour, put it in a savings account, or donate it to charity.

These are just a few examples of how we can begin to look beyond food to have your needs met. 

💛 Your peace awaits.