The cellphone charger performs a very important function. It charges your phone so it can have power so you can be in contact with your loved ones and to check your latest Facebook feeds. Without the charger your phone will run out of battery life and we will be lost. This is the only function of the phone charger.

Food is essential for our bodies to function, without it our bodies will shut down

Now I’m sure you are wondering what this has to do with emotional eating. Just bear with me and I will explain.

Food provides your body with nutrients not comfort

Like the phone charger food provides our bodies with the essential nutrients for our body to function. It provides us with energy so that our organs can perform their essential functions and keep us alive. Without food our bodies will shut down. This is foods only function.

The phone charger does not provide your phone with hugs, or cumfort and it certainly does not relieve its stress stress levels. The same counts for food. Food is only there to nourish your body it does not take away what you are feeling.

It might distract you for a couple of minutes but it does not take away your feelings.

Using comfort food to avoid something else

If you are eating when you are not physically hungry, you are using food to avoid something else. Maybe it’s stress, loneliness, boredom. The problem with this distraction is that it’s only a distraction.

Once you have eaten your “go to” comfort food, the issue will still be there. And if you are anything like me, you add guilt to the pity party too. So now you have guild and your original problem to deal with.

Next time you are craving something specific and your body is not physically hungry take the following steps to try and avoid the regretful avoidance technique.

• Take note when this is happening.

The best way to identify this is to write down when you start the craving. If you have already reached for your comfort ice cream then just document when the urge to eat without hunger came on and when you acted on it. Try and write down the inner dialogue going on in your head. You will probably be having a good battle between your mind and will.

• Try to identify what you are trying to avoid

Once you are aware of when this is happening try and figure out what you are trying to avoid.

• Process your feeling

If you have identified this feeling try and sit with it. Do nothing else just sit and process. It takes about 90 seconds for a feeling to pass and you will find that the craving has gone along with it.

Emotional Eating support

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