What Exactly is Emotional Eating?
It is important for sufferers of Emotional Eating Disorder to be educated about this problem and to learn the reasons why they may eat emotionally. The following are five main reasons as to why an individual may be suffering from Emotional Eating:
Emotional eating can be a symptom of an underlying condition that can be treated, but the most effective way is to treat the emotional issues that cause emotional eating in the first place. While eating food is a natural response to emotional or physical states, sometimes the body’s signals get confused. Some studies have also found that emotional eating is more prevalent in patients suffering from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other conditions related to emotional eating.
Being lonely or rejected is a very common reason why people engage in emotional eating. In fact, depressed individuals are almost twice as likely to engage in emotional eating. However, it is not uncommon for someone to eat while they are depressed. There are several theories regarding why people do this, but the most common explanation is that someone is not able to express their feelings to others because they are depressed or have a hard time focusing on the positives in life. If you find yourself doing this, you might want to seek out help to help you overcome your depression.
Pain or discomfort
Emotional eating can also be a response to being in pain or discomfort. If you are constantly in pain or are unable to move or feel your muscles well, you can become engrossed in the pain. Eating to numb the pain can cause a person to eat large amounts of food and feel guilty afterward when they don’t eat enough to satisfy their craving. If you find yourself engaging in this behavior, you should immediately seek out a counselor or doctor to determine if it is related to another health issue or if it is simply a reaction to the pain or discomfort that you are experiencing. Once you find out what is causing your pain, you can then take the necessary steps to improve your condition and gain control over the pain and discomfort.
Emotional eating can also occur when a person feels threatened by certain situations in which they would normally thrive. For example, if a person is in a romantic relationship, a person who feels threatened by the thought of being in a relationship with another person may eat a lot of food just to distract themselves from the feelings that they have. This can cause them to consume a large amount of food without feeling hungry or without feeling any physical pain. People often use this method to deal with feelings of depression, feelings of inadequacy, or feeling unloved by their partner.
Pain and distress
Emotional eating can also occur if someone is trying to avoid pain or distress. For instance, if you find yourself avoiding going out at night, you could turn to food to help you deal with the feelings of social isolation that are affecting you. If you are experiencing physical pain, you might turn to food to distract you from the pain. Once you find that you are experiencing social anxiety, you might eat a large amount of food just to feel better about yourself.
Eating problems
Some experts believe that eating disorders can be a sign that there is something else wrong in your body or mind that needs help. For example, you may have problems with eating or you may have been traumatized in some way by a loved one or a recent event.
If you find that you are having an emotional or eating problem, it is important to find a therapist to help you figure out the reasons that you are eating in a healthy way. This will allow you to find the true cause and then figure out what steps you need to take in order to fix or overcome the problem.
What Exactly is Emotional Eating?
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