Emotional Triggers to Overeating

“I’m bored, I’m stressed, here’s a box of cookies, let’s feast.” Many clients tell me that emotional eating and stress are their biggest triggers to overeating.

The reasons for mindless eating include environmental and social cues. Yet some of the causes of overeating come from within. Food cravings often stem from an inner yearning to be made whole. This inner voice says, “I need something more to feel complete.”

How can you fill an inner hunger to be made whole without turning to mindless eating? Here are my 5 top strategies to rekindle well-being and infuse your life with more, love, joy, and meaning.

-Discover Your Prime Motivator and use it to redirect your attention when an emotional cravings arise; -Practice Gratitude. Every evening before bed, write down 3 things that went well and say why. Then notice the difference in how much happier you feel. -Forgive yourself and anyone who has harmed you. -Practice daily dose of meditation, T’ai Chi, and/or yoga to reduce stress and boost your energy. -Affirm Yourself. Create and repeat an affirmation that inspires you. Then use it when emotional triggers to overeating strike.

Try out my newest affirmation for size, “At this moment I am whole and complete just as I am.”

Has eating become an all-purpose solution to life’s challenges? If so, pay special attention when an emotional trigger strikes. My clients who have had this awakening found it helpful to learn to refocus their attention in this instant on something else in life besides food.

What other techniques have you used successfully as an alte
ative to emotional eating?