Emotional eating is easy to overlook since it may be seen as less harmful than other addictions, but emotional eating can be detrimental to your physical and mental health. Weight gain, depression, anxiety, and financial problems are all common problems that someone who struggles with emotional eating may experience. Like any addiction, emotional eating is best managed with the help of a professional and a coaching course can be helpful.
Know your triggers
An emotional eating coach may suggest you keep a journal for a few weeks at the start of the program to see which emotions are triggering your emotional eating. Having a good grasp of your eating triggers will help you be aware of them, which will make it easier to break the emotional eating cycle. You will learn healthy ways to soothe those emotions rather than running to food.
Address destructive consequences
Taking an honest look at how emotional eating is affecting your life in a negative way can be helpful in convincing you to stop. Adding up how much money you spend on unnecessary food purchases to satisfy your cravings can be eye-opening. Learning how weight gain has affected your energy level or the need to purchase new clothing can also be an eye-opener.
Learn not to see food as the enemy
When you become addicted to food, you may begin to see food as the problem. However, food is necessary for nourishing the body, and you should be able to enjoy sweets and other treats on occasion without feeling guilty. An emotional eating coaching course will teach you how to stop viewing food as the enemy and learn the importance of being able to see it in a positive light.
Learn healthy techniques for managing emotions
One of the most helpful things in overcoming emotional eating is to have a plan in place for those times you feel like running to food for comfort. Having a plan in place makes it easier to divert your attention to a new and healthier behavior when you feel bored, sad, lonely, or hurt. For instance, your coach may suggest you read a book or meditate when you feel stressed instead of reaching for a bag of chips or a bowl of ice cream.
Anytime you turn to food to soothe your feelings, you are at risk for your emotional eating to turn into a destructive habit that can affect your health. Getting your emotional eating under control is important and an emotional eating course will give you tools to manage your thoughts and feelings in a healthier manner.
Contact a local counseling service to learn more about emotional eating coaching courses.
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