HomeSpecializing in the treatment of eating disorders
This Month's Topic: Emotional Eating
Sophie tried to fight it, but it seemed like an impossible task. "He always criticizes me. I will never be good enough." With fierce determination, she headed for the freezer and emptied out her container of Ben & Jerry's.
I need more.
She proceeded to eat the contents of her cupboard in the kitchen. After ten minutes of bingeing, she felt too full. Numb. Better. Or so she thought. Once again the cycle had started. She would get upset, numb the pain with food, and then feel guilty for overeating. Unfortunately, the better part never lasted long enough.
Emotional eating generally occurs when an individual turns to food to help numb out emotions that are uncomfortable. The act of consuming food tends to serve as an outlet to calm or numb out emotions including anger, fear, sadness, or even happiness. Often emotional eating can help a person to feel safe, but this is a temporary feeling of safety. Following the act of emotional eating, a person may feel guilty, depressed, or like a failure. Emotional eating may be a pattern that has become learned over time to cope with difficult situations or emotions.
Emotional eating commonly begins when a person has a difficult time feeling or responding to a difficult situation because it is out of his or her control, such as a chaotic family atmosphere or relationship. He or she may then turn to food for comfort to deal with these unmanagemable circumstances. Other contributing factors to emotional eating may include early messages that the individual has heard around food. Messages of both overindulgence and restriction can contribute to emotional eating, such as being forced to finish all the food on your plate or not being allowed to indulge in chocolate or other unhealthy foods from time to time.
Marilyn Evii
website: www.eatingdisorderspsychotherapy.com
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