While eating is a physiological need to sustain life; From time to time, it can serve a purpose beyond "nutrition". Our diet and habits; Psychological status is also an important factor, as it is determined according to family structure, business life, economic and cultural situation. Physiological hunger; It is an urge that is gradually understood by signals from your stomach, is satisfied after you are able to think about food options and eat what you prefer. Emotional hunger is; It is a state of dissatisfaction experienced due to some emotions that cannot be expressed, expressed, or satisfied. Although the body does not need it physiologically; The intensity of the emotions experienced creates your need to eat. If you feel the need to eat something even if you are not hungry and you realize that you are eating uncontrollably, "binge", the more you eat, the more you are not satisfied, the more you are not satisfied, the more you eat and eventually regret it, you should know that you are trying to satisfy your emotions, not your stomach.
When you experience emotions that are more difficult than you can handle; It may not be easy to face it and give yourself time to experience that feeling. Instead of trying to overcome the problem with painful emotion, people tend to choose eating, which is a primitive means of happiness. However, a person is only as human as he can feel! One must know how to experience the pain of love, the sadness of loss, and the disappointments to the fullest and properly; Just as one should experience happiness and joy as one feels like.
It is known that the emotions that mostly trigger eating behavior are unhappiness, loneliness, regret, guilt, anxiety, stress and anger. For example; People who cannot express their anger turn to eating because eating is actually a form of harming themselves (their body). When this emotion is revealed by learning the correct way to express anger, a healthy way of coping is chosen. When it is learned to cope with the emotion that pushes the eating behavior, it completes its "eating" function and disappears.
Eating Attacks
In those with weight problems; They eat when they are unhappy, become unhappy as they gain weight, and try to relax by eating more, creating a vicious circle. r. Binge eating attacks provide a momentary feeling of relief, but afterwards intense feelings of regret and guilt are felt. These emotions, in a vicious circle, will either push you to eat more and more again or destroy your self-confidence and belief with feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Those who complain about this situation are looking for many diet initiatives and slimming methods to control their weight. All these experiments, many new healthy or unhealthy methods, are started with hope and high motivation. However, the person's psychological state, perception and thought system continue to play a role behind the scenes of all these initiatives. Binge eating behavior, especially when it occurs with negative emotions, may be due to the person's inability to identify or express emotions or the lack of ability to handle and regulate the emotion experienced.
IS YOUR HUNGER EMOTIONAL OR PHYSICAL?
First of all, review your eating pattern and habits. Realize that "being hungry" and "wanting to eat" are not the same.
Do you have the urge to eat again soon after your last meal?
Do you ever think of a specific food and crave it? (Like chocolate).
Do you ever continue eating even though you feel full?
You prefer to eat to comfort yourself. Are you?
Do you wake up from a meal and think about what else to eat, looking for a snack?
If most of your answers are "Yes", it is because of the physiological hunger you experience. Rather, it is emotional hunger. Try to notice and confront the problem and emotions you are trying to cope with through the activity of eating. You may also consider getting professional psychological support to improve these skills.
WAYS TO DEAL WITH EMOTIONAL HUNGER
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Which problem or emotion you experience while eating? Catch it leading you to automatic eating behavior. Try to find out how to meet what you really need.
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Be careful not to be alone when you have the urge to eat when you are full but angry, stressed, unhappy. Indulge yourself in an outdoor activity (Walk) Distract yourself by forcing yourself to do so (such as going to bed, meeting with friends, or calling a loved one when you can't leave the house, or watching a movie).
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Remember that emotional hunger and eating attacks are a vicious cycle. When you want a food, don't feel like you have to meet your desire immediately; Resist this desire for 3-4 minutes, you will be happy when you see that you have succeeded. To maintain control over sudden food cravings, write motivational notes (Don't Give Up! Food will not ease your pain!) in your home or workplace and place them in areas you will see frequently.
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It will help you become stronger and cope with negative events. It will make it easier and your eating crises will decrease. Be good to yourself, stop criticizing and blaming mercilessly, take care of yourself and appreciate yourself.
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Strengthen your social environment and communication skills. Don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Don't expect people to understand your feelings, express yourself.
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