The psychology of eating: how to control comfort eating

Finding comfort in calories can quickly create a habitual food fuelled coping mechanism during times of stress and distress if we fail to control the overwhelming cravings that stem from the human mind convincing us that we will ‘feel better’ after turning to a tasty treat or takeaway, but is the fake feeling we experience before embarking on a bothersome binge the result of reality, or our subconscious mind manifesting its own method of coping during times of emotional upset?

Although the human mind is psychologically programmed to find pleasure in food, the pleasure that we experience when demolishing a delicious dish or dessert is instantly intensified if that dish or dessert resembles a sugary sweet treat, or a fat filled takeaway – the subconscious mind of a stressed and/or emotional eater gravitates towards these energy dense food sources knowing that they will provide a pleasurable pick me up – yet despite the physical and psychological distress that stems from subjecting the body and mind to comfort fuelled binges – weight gain, self loathing and feelings of failure, guilt and disgust – it’s how we deal with this deliberating distress that will determine whether our comfort eating can be controlled, or whether the repulsion that we feel towards our abnormal actions results in the development of a vicious cycle of guilt induced binge eating – a common culprit responsible for triggering the temptation to find pleasure in processed food.

So, is there a cure for comfort eating? Absolutely.

Finding comfort in food sources may seem like a sensible solution during times of emotional weakness, but the first step to banishing these bothersome binges is to remember that this food fuelled daze is merely a method that our mind has manifested in order to seek pleasure in unpleasant situations – unpleasant situations where only we possess the psychological power to control how we choose to cope with the underlying emotions we may, or may not be ready or willing to address.

By becoming fixated on the aftermath of our erratic eating as opposed to the short-term feeling of satiety that stems from finding comfort in calories, we’ll not only learn to accept that our abnormal actions fail to ease and eliminate our exaggerated emotions, but that they intensify our insecurities by creating additional stress and distress as a result of leaving us prone to piling on the pounds, severe self loathing and the overwhelming feeling of guilt fuelled failure – three triggers that may already be the core culprits responsible for an emotional eater’s original stress and distress.

Put simply, every erratic eating pattern stems from a habit. The more pleasure that something provides, the more the human mind becomes reliant on that something to provide it with a pleasurable ‘pick me up’ during times of emotional stress and distress – particularly if we continue to turn to it throughout tougher times. Therefore, attempting to soothe and improve exaggerated emotions through treats and takeaways will quickly create a subconscious habit if we fail to consciously convince ourselves that our abnormal actions will only aggravate an already stressful situation – the logical reason that we need to latch onto in order to overcome the overwhelming obstacles associated with finding comfort in calories, and banish the binges that lead to a bothersome body.