GAZELLE MAGAZINE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH EDITION | Page 95

WELLNESS & WELL-BEING
The Three
Keys to
Unlocking
Emotional
Eating
By Shannon Hayes Buescher
W
omen are emotional creatures. We tend to take
on the emotions of our significant other, our
children and our friends. We feel the pressure
of being the glue that holds it all together, and
the one who will always be there.
But it is how we deal with these emotions that impacts our health and
mental well-being. Food can often become the soother - the delicious
vice you can lose yourself in and that will completely disconnect and
numb you from whatever emotion is feeling unbearable.
But no matter how good the food tastes, eating emotionally only
adds guilt and shame on top of those difficult feelings. By using the three
keys - self-care, curiosity and compassion - you can start to understand
what emotions you are avoiding and find a healthier way to cope.
1. Self-care
Dieters have an increased risk of using food for emotion. It is often the
dieting itself that is the setup for an overeating episode due to feelings
of deprivation, restriction and hunger. It is important to make sure you
are getting balanced and varied meals with protein, carbohydrates and
fat. Also pay attention to how much sleep you are getting, as well as the
balance in your life between family, work, play and movement. All of these
things will impact your need and desire to eat.
2. Curiosity
Curiosity when there is emotional eating allows judging yourself to
fade. Curiosity allows you to ask, “What was going on for me?” versus “I
can’t believe I ate all that!” Judgment keeps you stuck, but being curious
fosters an intention of understanding in a kind and compassionate way.
3. Compassion
When you meet yourself from a place of compassion, you have an
opportunity to understand why you are using food in the way that
you are. When you judge yourself, you stay stuck in a place where you
fixate and criticize your behavior with food. Compassion opens you up
to be curious - they go hand in hand. Curiosity and compassion allow
you to be kind to yourself and help you move past a difficult emotion
and be open to exploring another way to deal with it. I often tell my
clients to find three things they can do before they turn to food. This
might be taking a walk, doing 10 minutes of yoga, calling a friend or
journaling. It’s not about taking eating off the table entirely, but being
open to trying something else to help ride out the peak of the difficult
emotion. Being curious and compassionate opens up new options for
coping that might work for you.
Understanding your emotional eating is the key to releasing yourself
from it. By practicing self-care, curiosity and compassion, food can
move from the anguished soother to a place of nourishment and
pleasure.
Buescher is a registered and licensed dietitian. She has over 15 years of
experience with nutritional counseling in weight loss, weight gain, sports
nutrition and eating disorders.
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