• You just got into a knockdown-dragout fight with your mom. Or the phone company. Or your kid.
• Your partner just implied that, yes, your butt does look big in those pants.
• Your girlfriend is now dating your boyfriend. Making him your ex-boyfriend.
• You are sick of all the clothes in your closet. Especially since most of them don’t fit anymore.
• You did not get the promotion. Or the raise. Or recognition for a job well done.

There are a million things that can turn us into emotional eaters. Any time we experience a negative feeling and head directly to the refrigerator, the vending machine, or the nearest convenience store or fast-food drive-through, we become emotional eaters. We look for comfort in something smooth, fattening, creamy, salty, sweet, or crunchy. Right?

We all know that unhealthy overeating leads to weight gain. It also brings on a downward spiral of negative self-talk, anxiety, and even self-loathing.

How do we break that cycle? The first and most important step is to realize that life is not always easy, fun, fair, or good. There will never be a totally stress-free time in anyone’s life. Once we can live with that, it’s easier to stop responding to the hard, not-fun, unfair, and bad days with food.

Identify what makes you feel pressured, sad, angry, or anxious – just make a note of it in your calendar (online or paper), journal (online or paper), or planner (electronic or paper). After a couple of weeks, you’ll have a pretty good idea of your triggers.

Then you can break the cycle with other, less self-destructive behaviors (like writing about your feelings, or treating yourself to a movie that helps you cry it out). Face your issues; be conscious of them. It’s so much better than eating them.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 3:04 am and is filed under Articles - Ten Steps and THM Basics, Self-sabotage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.