We’ve all seen the stereotypes about emotional eating. 

You’ve undoubtedly watched movies and TV shows where a character gets their heart broken and reaches for a pint of ice cream. It’s easy to laugh about when it’s exaggerated on film. 

However, real emotional eating isn’t funny. If you regularly experience it, you might feel guilt, shame, embarrassment, and even emotional pain. Unfortunately, it’s a difficult cycle to break. Eating – especially comfort foods – often provides temporary relief when it comes to feelings of sadness, stress, or even anxiety. 

That comfort never lasts long, though, and can cause a variety of additional emotional issues. 

So, what can you do to break the cycle? How can you stop emotional eating and establish a healthy relationship with food?

Understand Your Triggers

One of the most important steps to stop emotional eating is to recognize why you’re doing it, in the first place. 

For many people, it’s a coping mechanism. But, what are you trying to cope with? 

By identifying and understanding your triggers, you can use them to identify how you’re feeling, and why you want to turn to food during those times. 

It can be helpful to keep a journal/food diary when you’re starting to stop the cycle of emotional eating. Don’t just write down what you eat, but jot down what made you want that food, and how you were feeling before, during, and after you consumed it. 

Sometimes, having “data” like that written down will help you to better understand emotional patterns that will be easier to address later. 

Stop and Check-In With Your Emotions

It’s not always easy to stop emotional eating, even when you understand your triggers. 

One helpful exercise to try is to “pause” when you’re reaching for something you know isn’t good for you. 

Ask yourself why you want it. A big problem with emotional eating is that it can often become mindless. You might eventually reach a point where you keep indulging without even realizing it. 

When you take a moment to stop and think, you’re giving your prefrontal cortex the opportunity to make a more rational, thought-out decision. You’ll be less likely to act on impulse, and more likely to work through your emotions to make better choices. 

Again, this isn’t an easy practice to do, especially as you’re just starting to stop the pattern of emotional eating. However, the more you’re able to do it and recognize the triggers and emotions behind your actions, the easier it will eventually become. 

Be Mindful While Eating

It’s important to foster a healthy relationship with food. 

That’s crucial for everyone, not just those who struggle with emotional eating. However, making it a focal point in your life should be a higher priority if you tend to let your emotions drive your eating habits. 

Mindfulness isn’t just a meditative practice that requires you to close your eyes and deep breathe. You can practice mindfulness in many areas of life, including eating. 

The next time you eat something, whether it’s a normal part of your everyday diet or something you reached for to find comfort, be mindful of every bite. How does it taste? How does it feel? What flavors are lingering on your tongue? Does the food trigger any particular memories for you? 

The more mindful you are with each bite, the slower you’ll go. After just a few bites, you’ll likely start to have more control over your emotions, and you won’t need to eat the whole thing or reach for something more to feel comforted. 

Emotional eating is something you don’t have to struggle through on your own. Anxiety hypnotherapy is another great tool that can help you stop emotional eating. If you've tried everything else or you're ready to change your habits, don't hesitate to contact me for more information.