If your goal for this new year was to lose weight, then this will be a good read for you and perfect timing. The saying goes it's easy to put weight on but so hard to take it off. We all know that and anyone who has ever successfully lost weight will tell you that. Poor eating habits and lack of inactivity, over a period of time will result in an unhealthy weight and poor health in general. Zoning in on the real problem is half the battle.
Our emotions also play a huge role in our weight or, should I say, what we eat that ultimately leads to our weight. Some people can deal with their emotions in an effective manner and not reach for food. And then there's the rest of us. Poor emotion, head to kitchen.
Here are 5 of the most dangerous emotions that lead to overeating. If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, remember you're not alone and there is a way to overcome this issue.
1. Boredom.
Though boredom is more of a state than it is an emotion it is first on the list because so many of us eat out of sheer boredom. It doesn't matter what we eat, we just want to eat. And 9 times out of 10, we're not hungry at all. Simply bored. The cure to that almost seems like a no brainer but it isn't. Go and find something to do. Seems easy enough but most times we get into lazy mode and food is our friend.
2. Hurt.
We've been dumped by our partner. Our friend just did something really bad to us. Something happened that hurt our feelings and we just want to eat the biggest piece of chocolate cake we can find. Where is that tub of ice cream? Let's go get burgers and fries. Hurt often leads to eating (or drinking). Try writing a truth letter or journaling at times like these. It won't fix your sorrowful appetite but it sure will help your wounded ego a bit .
3. Sad.
Maybe you just lost your job or got a demotion. Maybe your dog just died or your best friend moved far away. Whatever the case may be, being sad is definitely one of the hazardous emotions that causes us to overeat. I'm not sure how overeating makes us feel better but for some reason it does. When you are sad, call a friend or someone close to you and hang out for a while. Go for a walk, a coffee, a drink or anything. Most likely they will divert your attention to something other than food.
4. Loneliness.
This could have been tied for first place. We are home alone, watching a movie, reading a book or simply just being lonely and suddenly it hits us. Eat, kitchen, food, snacks. It's overwhelming. So we eat. And besides, there is no one around to see what we are eating and how much we are eating so we're safe. And we eat. Lots. We're sad, lonely, frustrated and need comfort. Food does the trick. If you do this a lot perhaps next time you are out shopping for groceries, stay out of the junk food aisle.
5. Guilt.
You've done something super shitty and you feel horrible about it. You are too embarrassed even to tell anyone about it. The guilt consumes you. It is tearing you up inside. What better way to hide our shame then to bury it in food? It's that whole comfort food thing again. We feel guilty, we eat a tub of ice cream. Our guilt is gone. Not sure how that works but it does. Try calling a friend and maybe confessing to the person you wronged. Guilt is not a good emotion to carry around. Deal with it and let it go.
Most of the time our emotions can be nicely handled upon calling a friend or journaling or even going out for a walk. It's just so easy to run to the kitchen and eat instead of dealing with the emotions. When we deal, we break the vicious cycle of emotion=eat food. The better we get at handling negative emotions, the better we will be at handling our food cravings. Next time an emotion hits, try to deal with it before you head to the kitchen.
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