Let’s face it, life can’t be a bed of roses every day, and if we are truly honest some of the tougher times make the wonderful ones all the more sweeter. What’s more important is how we handle ourselves when we feel overwhelmed.
For many of us, food is a comfort and its easy to fall into habits where we use food to self-soothe. When its just an occasional habit, it’s not such a big deal, but when it becomes that thing that we depend on, we can start to jeopardise our health and actually contribute to our emotional distress.
Approaching emotional eating with mindfulness can be a robust strategy for tackling even the most ingrained habits. Essentially, mindfulness is an opportunity to identify the moments that send you spiraling, and then refocus by engaging in other activities that soothe you.
For example, perhaps you find that ‘time-out’, like a hot bath or a walk, are calming activities for you, whereas an argument with a spouse or partner sends you running for the bucket of ice cream. It can make a significant difference to your next steps if you take a moment to acknowledge that you have that feeling and redirect your energy to one of your other soothing activities.
It takes time and practice. It takes flexibility and understanding within yourself to build these new habits. Being more mindful of experiences, feelings, sensations, thoughts and behaviour, will help you become more in control of your eating habits. Not only that, but being able to recognise that sometimes emotions are overwhelming and that there are times where it may be helpful to immerse yourself in an activity to take your mind off your feelings. For a short time, this can give you an opportunity to feel calmer without leaning on food.
