Written by: Amparo Penny, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The concept of “emotional eating” has been frequently demonized in literature and pop culture, often viewed as an unhealthy behavior, and associated with feelings of guilt, shame, and loss of control.
By definition, “emotional eating” refers to the act of using food as a means of coping with intense or uncomfortable emotions. It can involve eating in excess or in an uncontrollable manner to soothe emotions as opposed to uncontrollably to soothe emotions instead of physiological hunger. People who engage in emotional eating behaviors tend to crave and reach for certain foods during this time, including salty and savory foods, because they can provide them with temporary feelings of comfort and pleasure.
Rather than demonizing emotional eating, let’s explore its usefulness as an effective coping skill when used in conjunction with other helpful coping strategies for difficult emotions.
One of the widely accepted therapy practices to address intense and uncomfortable emotions is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT is an evidence-based therapy approach developed by Marsha M. Linehan, which is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that was originally developed to address symptoms of borderline personality disorder. This therapy modality has since been adapted to address other issues, such as issues of mood regulation, substance abuse, and disordered eating behaviors. DBT consists of the following 4 modules: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
The distress tolerance module of DBT aims to help people find coping skills to tolerate a difficult situation or uncomfortable emotion without making it worse. These skills are not meant to “solve” the problem; rather, these skills are meant to help the individual “ride out the storm” of what they are experiencing in the moment. Sometimes there will be problems that you won’t have the power to change (i.e., things happening in the world or outside of your control) and you will have to find ways to tolerate and “survive” the situation.
One of the coping strategies in DBT is “self-soothing”, using your senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and lastly, taste. This is where eating can be a beneficial coping skill – mindfully enjoying some of your favorite foods to bring about a sense of peace and calm to help regulate the nervous system. This can serve as a short-term distraction for people when they need something to help ground them or bring them a sense of contentment and/or a reprieve from uncomfortable or difficult emotions.
The key to utilizing eating as a coping skill is to incorporate mindfulness into the mix. Mindfulness is the practice of tuning into one’s internal state and surroundings, and involves observing thoughts, emotions, and experiences without judgment. Mindfulness can help people reduce destructive or ineffective habits and reactions by paying attention to the connection between the mind and body and staying in the present moment as opposed to “zoning” out and trying to escape from the situation.
When using food as a coping skill, it’s important to take a mindful approach to it, paying attention to the food that you’re choosing, the quantity of the food, as well as the short-term and long-term results of using this as a coping skill. For example, eating a certain food may feel good in the present moment, and yet might produce long-term consequences as a result (i.e., indigestion, constipation, etc.).
While eating as a coping skill has its usefulness, it’s also important to remember that this is a temporary distraction and will not always be appropriate for every situation. That’s why it helps to have a “coping skills toolkit” – a wide range of coping skills available to you depending on the situation and needs. This variety of coping skills can include things such as:
Journaling
Getting out in nature
Calling a friend
Movement/exercise
Taking a shower/bath
Taking a nap
Talking to a trusted person
Doing a hobby or something you enjoy
Meditation practices
Having a wide variety of coping skills helps people build a holistic approach to tackling challenging situations. There is no “right way” to handle a difficult situation or uncomfortable emotion, so it helps to have multiple options to be prepared. Using food as a coping skill can be an effective coping strategy to distract a person from a challenging situation, in addition to a variety of other coping skills.
If you find that you’re relying on food as a coping skill more than other strategies and this is impacting your daily life, you might benefit from additional support from a mental health professional or registered dietician to help you re-establish a well-rounded coping toolkit and help you develop and sustainable relationship with food.
Amparo Penny, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Amparo Penny is a licensed clinician and health and mindset coach, who helps people stop obsessing about food and their bodies and get their sanity back. She helps people end black or white thinking around food and exercise and change their mindset to developing healthy habits FOR LIFE. This was what helped to end her 20+ year battle with her body, yo-yo dieting, and using exercise as punishment. And now it's her mission to help others end this battle and find food freedom!
