Many people find themselves turning to the bag when feeling overwhelmed with emotion, whether it be good or bad.
It’s known as emotional eating—the tendency of responding to feelings when not experiencing physical hunger.
“We don’t just emotionally eat when we’re sad or angry. We also emotionally eat when we’re happy, so it has to be at the forefront of our minds most of the time, especially if it’s an issue we have,” said Holistic Health Coach Stephanie Burner, who is one of two women in Indianapolis putting on a monthly workshop about emotional eating.
But, the good news is: There are ways to overcome what is known as “emotional eating”.
Enter “Self-Care: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Emotional Eating”, the aforementioned workshop, which will teach the nuts and bolts of the tendency.
Emotional eating can happen to anyone, it knows no age or gender.
Risk factors can include having an eating disorder, but the main factor, according to Burner, is having an emotional disorder and using food to suppress those feelings.
“When we’re eating to cover our emotions, most of the time we’re eating to cover up what we feel,” said Burner.
The workshop put on by Burner and self-proclaimed “work-in-progress” emotional eater Patricia Williams aims to teach people methods to overcome emotional eating, with tactics like journaling, exercise, or talking to a friend.
It is important to note that all emotional eaters have different reasons behind reaching for the bag.
“My own personal issue is that when I dealt with stress, I would find myself in front of the refrigerator, kind of gazing there, and saying, ‘What do I want?’ But I’ve learned that’s not the way. There’s nothing in the refrigerator that can make you to feel better when you’re stressed,” said Williams.
Williams said a craving typically lasts three to five minutes and when she feels a craving, she’s learned to turn to journaling, going for a walk, or eating something healthy—such as an apple.
“There are times under pressure that you think about that donut. Mmmm, that would be good right now. But now I know to ask myself, “What is that doing when I think about my learn term goals? Is that going to get me where I want to go?’ No. So I can say, ‘I don’t need that’,” added Williams.
The seminar “Self-Care: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Emotional Eating” is Saturday, February 17th at Georgetown Natural Foods from 10:30am to 11:30am.
Unfortunately, this weekend’s workshop is sold out, but there are openings for the workshops on Saturday, March 17th and Saturday, April 14th.
If you wish to attend, you can RSVP by calling 317-293-9525 or on Eventbrite.com.
If these first three workshops are successful, the duo plans to host others in May, June, and July, as well.
