Find yourself spending more time in front of the refrigerator and pantry, attempting to alleviate the emotional tension imposed by the current situation? It's probably not due to hunger.
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"Emotional eating is a state where we consume our emotions instead of feeling them, especially in stressful situations, as we are experiencing during the war," explains Anna Naveh-Lederman, a nutrition consultant, psychotherapist, and mindfulness teacher volunteering these days on the open line at Netivei Israel.
Naveh-Lederman provides workshops to groups seeking tools for coping with the current situation. Here are some steps from Mindfulness – mindful eating – that can help you cope with increased emotional eating due to the difficult emotions we are all experiencing these days.
1. Amplify self-awareness
During these days, we are going through a challenging experience, both externally and internally. It's a state of stress, and eating is essentially an escape from dealing with unpleasant emotions. Instead of viewing stress as a signal that we need to take care of ourselves, we try to suppress it. The goal is to be attentive and develop awareness of our relationship with our body, food, and eating. Typically, when we consume processed and industrialized food that spikes our sugar levels, it engages the body and numbs consciousness, but this effect is only temporary. The problem is that similar to addiction, the impact wears off, and we crave more. Remember: food can "whisper" symptoms for a while, but it's a loop.
2. Cultivate self-compassion
Eating against our body's needs not only leads to unpleasant physiological sensations but also to self-loathing, judgment, and a sense of guilt, which can exacerbate the problem even more. It's as if an inner voice is saying, "Are you blaming me? I'll show you; I'll eat even more!" To break the loop, we need to accept and embrace unpleasant emotions with self-compassion.
3. Practice the stop, identify and accept technique
Although the acronym may sound daunting, it stands for Stop, Identify, and Accept. First, stop; then identify that we are in a situation experiencing emotions like frustration, anger, and annoyance. After identification, we need to accept what we are going through, reminding ourselves that it's okay, not always have we felt this way, and not always will we feel this way. Simply giving space to these feelings already provides relief because if we agree to feel, we may not necessarily need ice cream to numb the difficult emotions.
4. Adopt friendly self-talk
During coping, it's crucial to focus on friendly self-talk: speak to ourselves as we would talk to our children or a good friend. Just as you wouldn't tell your children, "You're stupid and a loser," there's no reason to talk to yourself that way.
Instead, try to normalize what's happening to you and allow yourself to be human. Repeat phrases like "I'm not the only one feeling this way right now" or "It's natural to be stressed at the moment." It's also okay to comfort ourselves with food. It's natural to seek sweetness when everything around feels bitter. We can understand ourselves; it's not the end of the world even if we gain a little weight.
5. Listen to your body
Forget about formulas that fit everyone, like breakfast being the most important meal of the day, because maybe starting to eat at noon suits you better. Generally, paying attention to feelings of hunger and fullness is key. Even the content of the meal is something each person needs to examine for themselves. What makes you feel better - a salad with quinoa or a croissant? The body will communicate what's good for it. If you are attentive to these sensations, it will guide you in the right direction.
6. Ask yourself what will benefit you
In times of stress, ask yourself, "What will benefit me?" or "What do I need right now?". For example: organizing the kitchen or closet, talking to a friend, or having a video call with grandchildren. When you ask yourself what connects you to your resources, you can identify that watching more news or eating more ice cream might not necessarily be good for you.
Instead, you can connect to a place of inner reflection and awareness. So, even if you decide that what will benefit you is good bread with avocado or a croissant, it will be a decision made consciously, without guilt after eating. This way, you avoid creating a loop that includes energy of struggle, judgment, and blame.
7. Use this model for emotional nourishment
The higher our self-care, the more we foster the positive aspects, and our natural resilience increases, reducing the need for emotional eating. We don't want to fight the negative parts but enhance the positive ones. To replace emotional eating with emotional nourishment, you can adopt the "Sweet" acronym:
Mindfulness: Understanding the process leading to emotional eating, being present in the moment, and paying attention to what nourishes and supports, and what doesn't.
Resources: Connecting to our meaning and strengths. One thing that gives us the most meaning is giving, and it doesn't matter what kind. It's important to connect to things that make us feel good: sports, meditation, music, reading, or planting herbs in the garden. Each person has what suits them best.
Movement: Moving the body, stretching, walking a bit around the house, any kind of activity that moves the body a bit. The intention here is also for movement in a broader sense of doing - organizing documents, and clearing out the mailbox; the main thing is to be in action.
Community: Human contact, closeness, hugs, conversations. Perhaps it's not the time for a friend who sees everything as black, but in general, it's essential to meet or call on the phone and not isolate oneself.