Emotional Eating
Have you been on lots of different diets, and developed a difficult relationship with food?
Do you reach for food when you aren't really hungry but can't identify what you need?
Sometimes signals get crossed and you may confuse emotional needs with physical ones which can result in emotional eating. In fact, it is estimated that 75% of overeating is caused by emotional triggers.
At some stage, your brain may have learnt that food can bring you comfort and stave off the emotional problem, so instead of looking at what is causing the emotion for example, feeling stressed and overtired, and then working through this, you may reach for food to get rid of the uncomfortable feelings.
This does work. But only for the short term.
Long term, this can become an unwelcomed habit, often resulting in affecting your relationship with food which can damage your confidence and self-esteem.
What can you do to stop this vicious cycle?
Counselling can be a way to change these unwanted behaviours. With the right support, you can begin to explore your emotional history and learn to identify your emotional triggers, recognise your emotional needs, and employ new methods and techniques to manage your emotions differently.