Decrease Emotional Eating by STAHLing
by Julie Taborsky, MS, RD
Did you know that food affects brain neurotransmitters which can produce feelings of relaxation? It is no wonder that we crave certain foods when we are feeling stressed or overwhelmed! For most of us, food is abundant; it is an easy fix when we are feeling down. After overeating, however, we are left feeling disgusted and extremely frustrated.
In order to cope with these negative feelings, we have developed certain habits over our lifetimes to numb or avoid them. Becoming aware of our feelings is a critical step towards managing emotional eating. Once you are aware of what feelings are driving you to overeat, the eating will continue to be automatic and lead you to feel like it is out of your control.
To decrease your emotional eating, consider these critical components:
1. Awareness - is essential. We develop behavior patterns for a reason – they typically meet a need. It is important to understand what you are gaining from certain behaviors. This way, you can determine other effective ways to achieve the same benefit. What does overeating do for you? Does it help you stay calm? Is it a way you reward yourself? Consider your individual triggers and patterns.
2. Patience and a positive attitude – with yourself. The goal is PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION. The urge to cope with emotions through food will not disappear right away- do not sabotage yourself by being harsh and critical. This will only perpetuate the cycle and leave you feeling discouraged.
3. Feelings – acknowledge yours. It is incredibly healthy to release emotions, both positive and negative. Yet, it's so easy to get disconnected from what we are feeling. If you suspect negative emotions are causing you to overeat, this pattern will likely continue until you can acknowledge the underlying cause. Once you are able to determine what your feelings, you may be able to anticipate the circumstances that produce them. You can experiment with other ways of finding comfort and support when you need it.
4. Support – seek it. Acknowledging feelings can be overwhelming for many people. Maybe you are so used to avoiding your feelings that you have a hard time feeling anything at all. Or maybe you are so focused on others' feelings that you easily lose track of your own? Perhaps you know how you're feeling but really need ideas to help you cope. Consider making an appointment with a counselor. They are experienced at helping people navigate these types of situations (business cards of recommended counselors are available near the 20/20 front desk).
Here's an exercise you can try to increase your awareness about what you are feeling.
What are you feeling?
Use the acronym, "STAHL" to remind you that when you have the urge to emotionally eat, even waiting 30 seconds (then slowly trying to increase this time) before eating will be a helpful step in the process of decreasing emotional eating. During this time, check in with yourself and see if you can determine what you're feeling:
Sad -- Tired -- Angry or Anxious -- Hungry -- Lonely
It is often difficult to identify your feelings after they have built up and become really intense. By the time you reach this point you usually just want something that is immediately soothing, like food. So consider using STAHL not only when you are in a situation where you feel like overeating.
Just try to incorporate this technique throughout your day as a way to check in with yourself.
