4 Signs That You're Eating Your Emotions

Have you ever had a day where you just wanted to eat everything in sight? Felt like your stomach was like a bottomless pit? Had a craving, ate something, and still felt like it wasn’t enough? Maybe you tried something salty then something sweet? Nope...didn’t work. Crunchy? Soft? Zero effect… I hear you, some days I feel like that too! I can eat and eat and still, I want more. I try salty, I try sweet…nothing seems to fill the gap I feel inside. Then I overeat and feel bloated. Sigh…

Does this sound familiar? Have you ever felt like a bottomless pit? Emotional eating can sabotage our best efforts of maintaining a healthy life. It can add unwanted pounds, slow our metabolism, and cause sleep disturbances while still not giving us the satisfaction we’re looking for. In this post you’ll learn the difference between emotional eating and an eating disorder, the chakra related to emotional eating, what emotions trigger comfort eating, 4 ways to tell if you’re eating your emotions, and tips that I hope help you identify and disarm your emotional eating triggers.

OVEREATING ISN’T PHYSICAL, IT’S EMOTIONAL

Feeling powerless, abandoned, or unloved? Low self-confidence? Not feeling well? These are some of the emotional triggers that could cause you to overeat.

Feeling abandoned could indicate that you’re holding onto feelings of being abandoned from childhood. Feeling unloved? Unlovable? Maybe you didn’t feel loved when you were little therefore when something in your adult life triggers that emotion…you feel unloved again. How do you compensate? With food.

EMOTIONAL EATING VS. AN EATING DISORDER

Emotional eating is when we use food to fill our emotional needs to make ourselves feel better. An eating disorder according to Healthline is a “range of psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop.” Therefore, if emotions such as feelings of abandonment, low self-confidence, and disempowerment are not managed in a healthy way, and we eat to fill the emotional void, over time our emotional eating can turn into an eating disorder.

CHAKRA ASSOCIATED WITH EATING DISORDERS

In my work, I’ve found that the solar plexus chakra is the chakra energy center associated with emotional eating and eating disorders. It’s also associated with feelings of abandonment, low self-confidence, and disempowerment. When the solar plexus chakra is not functioning properly, these emotions will arise. If we do not deal with the emotions in a healthy way, we’ll either starve ourselves or try to fill the emotional void with food or some other substitute.

Want to learn more about the solar plexus chakra and emotional eating? Check out this post: Overcoming Emotional Eating: A Client Success Story.

4 SIGN THAT YOU'RE EATING YOUR EMOTIONS

DO YOU CRAVE SALTY & SWEET AT THE SAME TIME?

If you do - it could be a clue that you either have a physical imbalance or an emotional void in your life. Cravings are normal but when you can't seem to satisfy your cravings or when you crave more than one thing at the same time such as salty and sweet, it could be a clue that your system is out of balance.

Does this sound familiar? Do you crave salty then sweet? Or maybe salty and sweet at the same time? I do. I often crave salty and sweet at the same time then break out the popcorn and jujubes… Do you want a better response? Take a moment to reflect on recent interactions you’ve had with others. Ask yourself if something is bothering you. Are you feeling left out? Abandoned? Powerless? If so, think of ways you can better serve yourself. Maybe, you need to step up your self-care routine and boost your self-confidence. Get out of the house, get some exercise, try something new and prove to yourself that you can still do it! When we consciously make choices to empower ourselves, we disarm the power of our cravings.

DO YOU CRAVE CRUNCH?

I love potato chips! They are my go-to food when I’m not feeling well. I have to confess, It’s not something I’m proud of but…it’s the truth. Are you with me? Do you love crunchy snacks as much as I do? If so, you may be trying to block out your environment. One thing I’ve noticed is that when I crave crunchy snacks like chips, popcorn, or even ice cubes, I crave the ‘noise’ it gives me in my head. The ‘noise’ crunchy snacks make as we chew them can help us block external ‘noise’ when we’re feeling overwhelmed. How do you stop yourself from eating these emotions? When you’re craving crunch, pay attention to what’s going on around you. Who are you with? What time of day is it? Are you feeling tired or overwhelmed? Then based on your awareness, make healthier choices like taking time to be by yourself, go for a bath, a walk, or do visualization exercises to settle yourself.

DO YOU EAT MINDLESSLY?

Do you have days where you can eat continually but never feel full? Feel like your stomach is a bottomless pit? While you’re eating dinner, you’re thinking about what snack you’ll have later in the evening. I hear you. This happens to me too! When I notice myself thinking about what I’m going to snack on as I’m eating my dinner…a red flag goes up for me. I’ve learned that there is something going emotionally that I have to address. If this happens to you, you also may be trying to fill an emotional void with food. Stop and ask yourself what are you missing emotionally in your life at that moment? Are you feeling unloved by those around you? Are you alone? Do you need contact with others? If so, do something to help yourself that doesn't involve food. Reach out to someone you can trust. Call them, text them, or go for coffee. Take the initiative to help yourself to break the chain of mindless eating.

DO YOU TASTE YOUR FOOD?

Your first reaction is probably - of course I taste my food! But you know what? Most of us eat on autopilot. I’m over here raising my hand as I do it too. We’re usually so distracted by our phones, kids, or the television that we forget to savor our food. Especially when feeling emotionally overwhelmed we can use food to settle ourselves down. Distracted eating can help us feel more grounded. Here are some things I do when I catch myself eating too fast: I slow down, chew each bite thoroughly, only eat foods I really love, and I pay attention to my satiety level. By eating with more awareness, you’ll take control of your emotional eating and be less likely to overeat.

Gaining self-awareness, making conscious choices, and giving yourself time to reflect on what you discover about yourself in order to stop your emotional eating can start right now! When you pay attention to how you feel while eating you can tap into emotions related to the solar plexus spiritual energy center. It’ll help you figure out if your overeating is linked to a physical imbalance or an emotional void in your life.