I stumbled on a gem... a journal entry I wrote in February 2017 (two months before my last binge).
It's titled: Emotional needs/feelings that make me feel emotionally hungry and like I want to eat.
Sometimes I forget the simple yet brilliant nuggets of wisdom that helped me connect the dots and see my patterns with food so clearly. This is one worth sharing.
Below is the exact list of emotional needs/feelings and why I wanted to eat (taken directly from my handwritten scribble). ;)
The idea behind this exercise is to raise awareness and better understand the role food serves in response to negative or positive emotions.
It's important because once you see the patterns for yourself you can develop new strategies for how to respond in the future.
Keep in mind... nothing here is good or bad. It's just information that helps put you in charge of your choices... instead of thinking food is in control. This is how we overcome emotional eating and binge eating.
If emotional eating is something you struggle with, take a look at the list and see what resonates for you. If you know someone who struggles with emotional eating, share it with them.
As always, take what's useful and ditch the rest.
Emotional need/feelings & why I want to eat:
Stress/Anxiety: I want to eat for comfort. Food soothes stress.
Control: Eating is easy. I know how to do it. I am in control even when eating is out of control. (This one still blows my mind.)
Scared/intimidated: eating is comfort. It's easy and familiar.
Anger: food soothes me, it masks my anger.
Boredom: looking to food for entertainment, eating keeps me busy.
Loneliness: comfort, companionship, food is a quiet friend.
Excited: food is the go-to for any reward/celebration.
Happy: eating is a way to enjoy time with friends and family.
Feel free to tweak the list and make it your own. Notice what comes up for you. The awareness alone can be life-changing.
xo,
Amy
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