Holiday Challenges- Opportunities to Address Emotional Eating

This is a great time of the year to revisit developing strength over emotional eating (EE).

Food is personal. It is what we are given in infancy when we cry, what many are bribed with to “be good” as children, and what many turn to for comfort as teenagers and adults. The holidays are especially a time where turning to food for comfort is a primary source of coping for many.

Developing a healthy relationship with food beyond EE is something many of us hope for. And in all our hope, we seem to still rely on our old "friend" of food in times of need-over and over again.  You CAN get to a place where you do not go to food. It is hard work and it is well worth it if you are looking to overcome EE.

The most powerful places to develop change in EE are actually our heated moments when we usually turn to food in search of comfort. In our heated moments, when rational thoughts are overtaken by ritual and vulnerability, we hold the most power. Power to alter our behavior, change our thoughts, and have different outcomes.  The biggest challenge is letting ourselves truly experience these heated moments and working to change ourselves before, after, between, and during.

To get started, begin a log of your EE. Write down the what, when, where, and why’s in your log to help you gain more insight into your personal food and emotion relationship. (Even if you think you already know!)

Example:

• What Happened   
• When Did I EE   
•  Where Was I    
• Why (What did I tell myself)

For your next steps to conquer emotional eating, follow our blog posts:

• Plan Your Different Outcome
• Reminder Systems and Alternative Coping Strategies

• The Only Way Around is Through