Situations that trigger our desire to eat can be divided into several categories.
Social eating involves eating when one meets other people, perhaps to fit in with the group or to take part in a discussion.
Situational eating occurs when the opportunity presents itself, for example when one passes a restaurant or a food stand.
Emotional eating is the most dangerous because it involves a reaction to how we feel, whether that is sadness, stress, tension, or anger.
Are you an emotional eater?
One way to answer this question is to carry a food diary. When hunger pangs set in, note how you feel. Are you stressed, have you argued with the kids or your partner, is there too much to do at work? Analyze whether your hunger is real or if it was aroused by an emotional feeling. If the answer is that the hunger is emotionally aroused, there are ways to distract the feeling and avoid putting anything in your mouth.
An effective guide for learning how to handle emotional eating is the Four Step Model described by Dr. Herbert Benson and Eileen M. Stuart. In addition to using this model to reduce general stress, it can also be used to overcome emotional eating.
- Stop
This step breaks the cycle of automatic eating when a certain feeling arises, and it must happen before eating begins. - Breathe
This step helps you slow down, find some calm, and get a chance to reflect for a bit. - Reflect
This step is known as “Think before you eat.” The best question to ask yourself when the body signals hunger is, “Why do I want to eat right now?” The answer may be that it involves an emotional need and not that the body needs fuel. - Choose
There are various ways to reduce the negative health effects even if you do choose to eat.
Learn more about each of these steps, emotional eating, and creating body-mind balance in the new e-book, Your Life Force: Training for Strength & Harmony.
Tags: emotional eating, Your Life Force
