Understanding Emotional Eating: Triggers and Strategies

Hi! My name is Holly, and I’m a recovering emotional eater. 

If you are an emotional eater, you are not alone. It’s a common struggle for many, and moms often find themselves particularly challenged by it. Juggling numerous responsibilities, managing household chores, and tending to the needs of our families can leave us moms feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and emotionally drained. In such moments, we often turn to food for comfort or as a coping mechanism.

For me, this looked like drinking 2-3 Venti mochas or frappuccinos a day or treating myself to a large Cookies and Cream shake from Chic-fil-A, or eating the entire bag of Oreos after the kids went to bed.

Many of us have done this since childhood and don’t even know why. But if we stop to think about it, every emotion was probably tied to food. Sad? Have a cookie – it will make you feel better. Happy? Let’s go get ice cream to celebrate!

This ingrained pattern often leads to unhealthy eating patterns and negatively impacts both physical and emotional well-being. 

How do you break these patterns and develop a healthy relationship with food? 

It starts by recognizing your triggers. There are many triggers that can cause us to emotionally eat. Below are some common ones, but you may have different ones. 

Common Emotional Eating Triggers:

1. Stress: The demands of motherhood, coupled with other life stressors, can trigger emotional eating. We often use food as a way to alleviate stress and find temporary relief from overwhelming emotions. There’s a whole science behind this.

2. Fatigue: Lack of sleep and constant fatigue can disrupt hormonal balance and increase cravings for high-calorie, sugary foods. When we’re tired, and I mean tired-to-the-bone tired, we may turn to food as a quick energy fix to combat fatigue.

3. Emotional Distress: Feelings of sadness, loneliness, boredom, or anxiety can drive us to seek comfort in food. Emotional eating provides a temporary distraction from negative emotions but ultimately perpetuates the cycle of emotional distress.

4. Lack of Self-Care: We often prioritize the needs of our families over our own well-being, neglecting self-care practices such as proper nutrition, exercise, and relaxation. This neglect can lead to emotional eating as a way to compensate for unmet needs.

Breaking the Cycle of Emotional Eating

When you catch yourself turning to food for comfort, ask yourself the following:

• “What just happened that’s making me want to eat?” Did an event trigger you? Maybe someone did or said something to upset you and it was the proverbial last straw? Maybe ask yourself, “Will food fix this?” Generally, the answer is no. 
• “What am I feeling right now that’s making me want to eat?” Maybe you are sad, tired, lonely? Maybe it’s something joyful and you want to celebrate with ice cream? What other ways can you cope with negative and positive emotions besides food?
• “What is it I really need right now?” Maybe what you really need is a short nap? Or maybe you just need some water. Maybe you forgot to eat lunch so you need real food instead of something high in sugar? Maybe you just need to go outside for 5 minutes or do something creative?

Some strategies for overcoming emotional eating:

Besides walking through the questions above, there are some additional strategies to help with overcoming emotional eating:

1. Mindful Eating: Practice mindful eating by paying attention to your physical hunger cues, eating slowly, and savoring each bite. Mindfulness makes us more aware of our emotions and triggers, making it easier to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional cravings. Check out my article on Mindful Eating.

2. Stress Management Techniques: There are many effective stress management techniques such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, or engaging in hobbies you enjoy. By far the most effective methods are diaphragmatic breathing and physical activity. By reducing stress levels, we can decrease the likelihood of turning to food for comfort. Check out this video on diaphragmatic breathing and my post on Quick Stress-Busting Workouts.

3. Establish Healthy Coping Mechanisms: Develop alternative coping mechanisms that don’t involve food. This could include journaling, talking to a friend or therapist, going for a walk, or engaging in creative activities.

4. Prioritize Self-Care: Prioritize activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul. Getting adequate sleep, engaging in regular exercise, and practicing self-compassion are essential for maintaining overall well-being and reducing the urge to emotionally eat.

5. Seek Support: Seek support from friends, family members, support groups, or a health coach. Connecting with others who understand your struggles can provide validation, encouragement, and practical advice for overcoming emotional eating habits.

Breaking the cycle of emotionally eating will take time and practice. Be gracious with yourself and don’t beat yourself up if you do emotionally eat. If you do, ask yourself the questions, take note of your triggers, and create a plan or several for the next time you feel triggered to emotionally eat. That could be as simple as going to the bathroom for five minutes so you can process something that happened, phoning a friend for support, or even drinking water. 

Comment what your go-to plan is when you want to emotionally eat. ⬇️