Emotional Eating – Dare to Dream

Many people who overeat do so to fill in the empty time when they are bored, or they are using food to fill their emotional hunger. The pain of loneliness, the itch of frustration or the adrenaline-burst of anger can be suppressed by filling up with food.

And it’s better to do that, we reason, than turn our feelings inwards and hurt ourselves or turn the feelings outwards and hurt others. So food becomes a drug to suppress feelings and all the feelings turn to fat.

Even though we know it doesn’t really work, we still do it.

At the end of the overeating binge, our feelings are still there. They may for a short while be lying sulking in the corner, temporarily subdued by the food. But because physical hunger wasn't the question, physical food is not the answer.

And the food we choose to do this is so, so "bad". Whatever your comfort food is, I can pretty much guarantee it’s not broccoli. We eat high fat/sugar goodies when we are feeling down emotionally. That makes us feel down physically and it makes us feel guilty!

So we can then feel yuk and bad/sad/mad all at the same time!

So how can you deal with this? In the Food & Joy Coaching Process I talk about having awareness – the first stage of tackling this is to be aware that you are doing it.

Then choosing a time when you are not emotionally hungry, dare to dream.

Dream of eating wonderful, nutritious foods that will fill you with vitamins, minerals and all the other goodies you need for good health.

Dare to dream of all the crispy crunchy salady stuff you could eat and experience the fresh cleansing feeling of eating this food. Feel the crunchiness, smell the crispness and freshness of this food.

Dare to dream of effortlessly making choices that will support your physical body and nourish your soul. See a huge buffet of food in front of you with lots of healthy foods to choose from and you are free to pile your plate high with them. And you know that these foods will nourish and sustain you.

Dare to dream that you are the kind of person who loves food and always knows how to choose the best for your body. So you see yourself choosing food that your body is going to love – you can feel the energy that you will have after eating this food.

Dare to dream of the lightness you will feel when you have made these food choices. You have eaten your fill but are not overfull. You have eaten foods bursting with goodness and the cells of your body have been nourished without being overfed with calories.

Do this every day and if you make this dream as vivid as possible you can eat what you want because what you want will be the most healthy, life-giving food on the planet.

Health and happiness to you!nn(c) 2009 Liz Copeland