The 7th part of my intuitive eating series is on emotional eating: cope with your emotions with kindness. 

“First, recognize that food restriction, both physically and mentally, can, in and of itself, trigger loss of control, which can feel like emotional eating. Find kind ways to comfort, nurture, distract, and resolve your issues. Anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and anger are emotions we all experience throughout life. Each has its own trigger, and each has its own appeasement. Food won’t fix any of these feelings. It may comfort for the short term, distract from the pain, or even numb you. But food won’t solve the problem. If anything, eating for an emotional hunger may only make you feel worse in the long run. You’ll ultimately have to deal with the source of the emotion.”

(From Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch) 

Over the last year, I have really been working on my coping skills to address any anxiety or depression I may be feeling. Thankfully, I have found tools that work for me that don’t involve food such as meditation, running/walking, snuggling my dog, and talking to my husband or a therapist. 

But occasionally, after a bad day it is tempting to reach for food as a source of comfort. In high school, when I was having a bad day I would drive to Wendy’s and get a chocolate frosty and a medium fry to dip and cry into my food. I’ve definitely been guilty of eating a whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream after a break up. And when I’m bored, I often find myself perusing the cabinets for something to do. 

Intuitive eating has re-affirmed the coping mechanisms I have developed from working with a therapist and now I turn to food as a means to cope less and less. It helps that I honor my hunger so that if I’m bored but not hungry I don’t turn to food— I find something else to do like going on a walk and listening to my favorite podcast or reading a book. 

Before intuitive eating, I never thought about how I used food as a way to sooth my emotions, but together with the other principles, coping with my emotions in other ways allows me to have a much healthier relationship with what I eat and why I eat it. 

As always, I encourage you to check out Intuitive Eating and the Intuitive Eating Workbook to learn more.