Separating Emotions from Eating

In our fast-paced world, one of the hardest challenges is to stop, take a deep breath, then proceed with caution.  It is far more likely that we simply default with knee-jerk responses to stimuli.  Sometimes this can result in an impulse purchase at the mall.  Sometimes this can result in a critical comment that sounds like judging.  Sometimes this can result in road rage.  Oftentimes this results in mindless eating.

When it comes to heightened emotions and eating, we have to be on guard.  Unfortunately, we are trained from childhood to cope with uncomfortable feelings by eating.  Typically the foods we eat when we are stressed are high fat, high sugar treats.   Oh, you got a bee sting--here's a cookie.  Yeah, it's a birthday party, let's all eat cake and then take more home for later.  Oh no, it's a funeral, carb load.  

When emotions are running high--whether they are positive or negative or ambiguous (I don't know what I'm feeling, but it is not good.) we benefit from taking a step back and looking at what's really going on--putting something useful, destressing and even calming between us and the situation.  By doing this, we can respond to stressful situations or high emotions in a more rational manner.  By practicing this, we can condition ourselves to look at what's really going on.  That doesn't mean we will like the emotion any better, but it does mean that we will be less likely to find ourselves with a lot of empty calories that we weren't even looking for.

One of the reasons why this is so challenging is that we live in a multi-tasking fast-paced world where responding quickly is rewarded.   Our technology is quick.  We live in an on-demand world.   We want what we want.  Oftentimes, we can have it.  Unfortunately, this has translated to overeating snacks, mindless trick or treating in the workplace, sampling everywhere.  

The response to stress (good, bad or ambiguous) is to slow down with the breath.  Inhale deeply through the nose, exhale deeply through the nose.  This engages the relaxation response in the body--now the emotion doesn't feel so pressing, and hopefully we can make more rational choices as a result.

This is a practice.  There is no perfect.  This doesn't mean we won't want chocolate bars or salty chips.

It does mean that we are REtraining ourselves to respond differently to our emotions and to put food where it really belongs.  That's an effort worth making.