Emotional eating is often so tough to stop because it becomes a habit. To break the emotional eating habit some estimates are that it will take months or even years and that’s a daunting task!
When you need relief, you need it now. Out of control eating takes hold, you need something that will help you shake free from the endless cycle of; feeling > discomfort > emotional eating and this is where tools come in handy.
All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits.
Emotional Eating is a short-term pseudo-solution that doesn’t help you in the long run.
The increased guilt and shame lead to more body hate, feelings of failure and a barrage of other negative thoughts and feelings.
Emotional eating becomes a habit that is set on continuous loop. It’s like a song that plays over and over again endlessly repeating. There is discomfort, thoughts turn to food, you eat and feel relief and then don’t think about the uncomfortable emotion again. The next time you experience uncomfortable emotions, it happens again.
It’s not about willpower or being strong or fortitude, it’s about the power of the human brain to be as efficient as possible. The human system will always go for the path of least resistance first.
Established habits get first priority in our brain, regardless of their long-term benefit.
Changing habits are so incredibly difficult! You need all of the tools you can get to be successful.
Habit loops are cycles that continue on repeat unless the pattern is consciously interrupted.
Emotional eating goes something like this:
- Experience —feeling an emotion that is just a part of everyday experience.
- Response— calm the system (your brain) and get back to “normal,” as quickly as possible. An overloaded brain narrows the focus to get what you need to stop feeling stressed.
- Cue — Eat pleasurable foods that raise the feel-good brain chemicals and temporarily, in the moment, reduce stress. You feel better, but you haven’t addressed what got you here in the first place.
Since we are literally creatures of habit, interrupting the cycle or loop is what will prevent it from happening altogether. That’s what Conscious Eating skills and tool give you – long term solutions.
Although it takes effort, creating new pathways is completely possible!
To stay focused on the changing emotional eating you need to stop the thought patterns that lead to the habit.
If you’ve been around here a bit, you’ll know that I’m a big believer in mantras. I talk a lot about how they help you keep your focus. I encourage my students in my courses to have a couple at the ready to support them at any point.
When you take a different action (mantra) you can to give yourself time and space to make conscious choice and then you’re on the path to breaking the emotional eating habit.
If you can change your mind, you can change your life.
Mantras are a great tool to become a Conscious Eater and stop emotional eating for good.
Remember, the purpose of a mantra is to help you focus on what you want and make it happen!
Here are 15 mantras to break the emotional eating habit.
1. My body fuels my mind. My mind calms by body. My heart is filled with love.
2. I care for myself mind, body and heart with love, commitment and grace.
3. I am at home in my mind, body and heart wherever I am.
4. Revitalization happens when I listen to my body’s wisdom.
5. I am present, clear, kind and loving.
6. I nourish myself with food to fuel my body with energy, satisfaction and enjoyment.
7. I live today with clear intention.
8. I inhale calm and exhale stress.
9. May my relationship with myself be compassionate.
10. I am walking the road that leads to food freedom.
11. My health and well-being rest in my heart.
12. May I focus on what’s important.
13. I am a Conscious Eater and nourish myself with kind action.
14. May heart be open to kindness and love to and from myself.
15. May I listen to my wise inner voice.
This is so helpful, Thank-you Tracie!
Thank you so much Tanya. I’m glad that the article is helpful to you 🙂
I know trying to deal with emotional eating always focuses on the emotional part. I think it’s extremely important to understand that the physical part is separate, that eating is about your body and not about your feelings. Separating those two purposefully can make all the difference.