Eating is not only an action necessary for survival. It is intertwined with culture, social life, our emotional exchanges, and the way we express ourselves...
Think of special occasions, for example... Holidays, weddings, festivities, receptions. There is definitely a dining table accompanying all of them.. Are you hungry? A mother who asks, an aunt who invites us for a car ride or an evening meal, a neighbor who knocks on our door with a bowl of ashoura in his hand... Sharing our food; It is a veiled way of saying "You are valuable and important to me, I am aware of you, I want you to be in my life." Accepting shared food means responding in the same language. Food is a part of culture and socialization, as well as a way of establishing relationships and showing emotions...
Eating has emotional implications in our inner world, apart from social meanings. Food is the first bond established between mother and baby. It would not be wrong to say that the basis of the feeling of being loved and trusted is shaped in this moment of unrequited exchange. A mother breastfeeds her baby not only to feed him, but sometimes to relieve his restlessness and sometimes to calm him down. This is how we first build the relationship between emotions and food and emotional regulation. In its own nature, there is a system and a whole of meaning between food, the individual and the social environment. So, is this system always in such balance?
When we look at our adult lives, we can see that the emotional regulation function of eating still continues. In response to anger, unhappiness, loneliness, boredom, stress and many other emotional situations, We may realize that we are eating for relaxation. When these negative emotions increase and our harmony with the social environment is disrupted, the healthy bond between us and food begins to be damaged.
Hunger is a physiological state, while appetite is a psychological state. Therefore, it is a reasonable approach to look for psychological factors underlying eating disorders. Studies show that binge eating disorder is 2% in the general population, and this rate is as high as 65% in the obese population. Considering the health problems such as diabetes and hypertension caused by this type of eating disorders, binge eating disorder is a serious psychological disorder that should not be ignored.
At least 2 times a week in the last 3 months. If you experience binge eating attacks, consume portions in a much shorter time than normal, start eating before you are physically hungry, continue eating until you feel uncomfortable or bloated, feel ashamed of overeating and prefer to eat alone, feel regret, disgust and guilt after eating. If you have unsuccessful diet attempts and show any of these symptoms, you may have binge eating disorder. In other words, food can now be more than satisfying your physical hunger, it can be a way to swallow what you cannot express or say, a way to relieve your emotional unrest, or an easier way to escape from your negative emotional states. In this case, it would be beneficial to get help from a psychologist to redefine food in your life and gain healthy eating behavior and habits.
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