The Mind-Mouth Connection: How Ignoring Your Emotions can Lead to Crappy Food Choices

When I opened LiveWriter today, I had plans to take this post in a totally different direction.  It’s T-1 week ‘til Thanksgiving, and I was going to do a Holiday recipe series that will (likely) keep both vegheads and omnis happy.  Then, a funny thing happened…

 

…After I’d polished off the Cashew Goat Cheese I baked up this morning; as I was dipping my fingers into the bowl of leftover buttercream from last week’s muffin-turned-cupcake fiasco and planning to grab a handful of raw almonds on my way out, I realized something.

November is a very emotional month for me.  During the course of this 30 days, just about every milestone in my romantic life took place. And every year, I spend November trying to muddle through & forget my time with the person I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with.

 

Today is especially hard.  When I was popping that handful of chocolate chips (I conveniently neglected to mention above), a light bulb went off.  When we bury emotional pain, it bubbles beneath the surface until it boils over. As the pressure built up in my life over the past week, my diet got progressively worse.  More sweets, less greens…until I disintegrated into a pool of vegan goat cheese & semi-sweet chocolate.

 

Now that I realize what’s going on, I have the power to make better choices.  How?

I can address the trauma that’s causing me to reach for sugar & fat (as a pain reliving mechanism) by journaling [or blogging ;-)], talking it out with a fiend, whatever.

I can be more mindful of my food choices until I regain my equilibrium, and re-establish my workout regimen (remember my still painful quad tear?) to get my endorphins flowing again.

I can whip up a green smoothie to jumpstart my detox from the overage of ‘less than optimal’ nutrient-deficient food I’ve been taking in over the last few days.

 

The Moral of the Story

 

When we refuse to deal with our emotions, symptoms of the repression tend to show up in other areas.  If food has any emotional context for you, your diet is likely to be affected.  Listen to your body & be mindful of its signals.  Sometimes that sugar craving is a symptom of something much deeper. Deal with it – when you can, as best you can.  Get help if you need to.  You’re worth it!

 

Have you ever found yourself emotionally eating?  How did/do you deal with it?  Please share your tips!