Anxiety eating: why it happens and how to control it

Hunger and moods can cause us to enter a vicious cycle.

Anxiety problems are one of the main reasons for consultation in psychology clinics. The effects of anxiety can interfere in all areas of our lives, including our eating habits.

In many of the occasions in which a patient visits a nutrition and dietetics center, it can be observed that underneath these bad eating habits there is a background associated with some kind of emotional disturbance, in which anxiety tends to play a leading role. In this article we will focus on the fact of eating out of anxietya frequent alteration in the day to day life of many people.

What does it mean to eat out of anxiety?

When our eating habits and behaviors are conditioned by our mood, in this case an anxious mood, we can speak of emotional eating. However, these routines can also be affected by other moods, such as sadness.

In these cases, the person does not eat because he or she is hungry or feels a physical need, but to satisfy emotional needs. but rather to satisfy emotional needs.. Eating is a behavior that releases numerous neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, that make us feel good. So, although feelings of guilt may appear afterwards, the reward and the immediate feeling of well-being help to diminish the emotion of anguish that provokes anxiety.

Thus, although we are not always aware of it, it is very likely that on those days that we find stressful or distressing end up eating foods that are unhealthy but make us feel good.

Although indulging from time to time is normal and even advisable, determining our diet based on how we feel, or trying to cope with problems with food, can lead us to fall into a vicious circle that is very harmful to both our physical and mental health. a vicious circle that is very harmful to both our physical and mental health..

The main problem of anxiety eating is that this feeling of hunger can not be appeased with food, but, as mentioned above, it is possible that we end up feeling even worse than before.

Causes

Compulsive eating is a very typical symptom of anxiety states.. When we look for temporary relief from negative emotions in food, we must understand that the problem does not lie in the act of eating or in the food itself, but in the anxiety itself. Therefore, if we are able to control it, it will be much easier to placate the imperious need to eat that it provokes.

However, there are a number of reasons that facilitate this need to eat out of anxiety.

1. Inability to manage emotions

Traditionally we have been taught that negative emotions have no use beyond making us suffer, so it is better to hide them, repress them or contain them. As a consequence, a great number of people are unable to manage their emotions in an adequate and satisfactory way. Hence, anxiety eating is a very recurrent problem among the population.

2. Excessive self-control

Spending all day trying to suppress or control the urge to eat can lead to a rebound effect. can end up causing a rebound effect in which the person ends up eating large amounts of food in a very short space of time.

3. Food as an exclusive source of pleasure

Tasting a good meal is a not inconsiderable pleasure. However, when we only find well-being through it, making it "responsible" for our satisfaction, we have a problem.we are faced with a problem.

As mentioned in the first point of the article, palliating our anxiety or distress with food will only get us into a spiral of discomfort.

How to differentiate it from "normal" hunger?

The need to eat caused by anxiety, or emotional hunger, tends to appear suddenly and with such a high intensity that, in most cases, it is difficult to differentiate it from "normal" hunger. in most occasions it is very difficult to resist it. and differentiate it from a regular physical hunger attack.

However, there are some signs that can help us identify whether this hunger is real or caused by our mood.

• It appears unexpectedly and suddenly
• It does not originate in the stomachIt does not originate in the stomach, but our mind generates a series of mental images and representations of food, its taste, its texture, etc.
• We eat automatically, without being aware of time or quantities.
• We tend to crave a particular type of food or meal, almost always fatty foods or junk food.We tend to crave a particular type of food, almost always fatty foods or junk food.
• We do not feel satiated.
• After eating, feelings of guilt, regret or shame appear.

How to prevent this from happening?

Controlling these hunger attacks caused by anxiety is not an easy task. Hunger, emotions and feelings are not always easy to manage. However, here are some tips that can help to control and reduce the urge to eat caused by anxiety.

1. Seek professional help

Once it has been determined that the hunger sensations are not physical but emotional, and that anxiety is the main culprit and that anxiety is the main reason why we cannot resist raiding the fridge compulsively, it is advisable to seek professional help. compulsively, it is advisable to seek the help of a professional psychologist to help us manage and reduce the anxious symptoms and, therefore, the need to eat.

2. Identify the situations or moments in which hunger appears

Surely the need to eat is triggered by some event that has affected us emotionally. These events can be from work stress, bad news or a bad meeting, or even due to hormonal changes. or even due to hormonal changes typical of the menstrual cycle.

If we are able to detect the moments in which this sensation appears, it will be much easier to foresee them and develop strategies to help us avoid the compulsion to eat.

3. Learning to manage emotions

It is essential not to repress and store negative emotions, but to perceive them as internal signals that there is something in our life that we must change or improve. A good emotional management, in which we find a satisfactory outlet for our emotions will decrease our levels of distress and tension, and therefore our need to eat and therefore our need to eat.

4. Seek other types of rewards

Another fundamental step in avoiding anxiety hunger is to look for other types of rewards that generate the same satisfaction without the negative consequences of compulsive eating.

5. To carry out relaxation exercises

To carry out exercises and relaxation techniques that help us to diminish the tension and calming our mood will have a direct and positive will have a direct and positive consequence on our anxiety levels.

6. Not getting enough sleep

In addition to increasing levels of fatigue and anxiety, not getting enough sleep also has a direct effect on our organism, increasing hunger levels. If we add to this the hunger caused by anxiety, which is enhanced by not sleeping, we enter again in a loop of anxiety-sleep that will not benefit us in any of the previous aspects.

7. Do physical exercise

Moderate physical exercise helps us to increase dopamine levels and relaxes accumulated tension, making it an essential ally in reducing anxiety levels.

8. Drink plenty of water

Increasing our daily water intake will help keep the feeling of hunger at bay. In addition, in the moments when it appears, drinking water can help to temporarily diminish the intense feeling of hunger due to anxiety.

9. Keeping the mind busy

Trying to distract the mind at times when anxiety hunger occurs can be a good coping strategy. Divert your attention with activities such as reading, talking to someone, or engaging in a pleasurable activity can be helpful.