Why do we overeat when we are stressed?
Experts point out that many people tend to overeat not only out of physical hunger, but as a way of dealing with emotional discomfort. Ingrid explains that this occurs especially in individuals with a vulnerable affective style, characterized by:
• High sensitivity to stress: They tend to anticipate negative situations and feel anxious easily.
• Difficulty regulating emotions: They have a hard time managing negative emotions, which leads them to seek relief in food.
In this sense, the act of eating works as a “comfort” mechanism that helps temporarily reduce anxiety, although in the long term it can generate feelings of guilt or frustration.
Many chronic dieters have an emotional system that makes it difficult for them to manage the anxiety that arises when they perceive a threat to their self-esteem or body image. These people often alternate between over-restricting and then overfeeding, which often makes the situation worse.
When faced with chronic stress, some emotional eaters:
1. They use food as an escape: The act of eating becomes a distraction from difficult emotions such as fear of failure or insecurity.
2. They associate breaking the diet with personal failure: This reinforces a negative cycle where anxiety and guilt increase, leading to more overeating.
The role of anxiety in obesity
In emotional eaters, anxiety plays a crucial role:
• Increase food consumption: Food acts as an anxiolytic, temporarily reducing emotional discomfort.
• Threatens personal identity: When stressful situations affect your self-esteem or body image, anxiety triggers patterns of overeating as a way of dealing with that discomfort.
On the other hand, people who do not rely on food to manage stress often experience appetite suppression in similar situations, underscoring individual differences in how they cope with anxiety.
The key: Learn to regulate emotions!
Overeating is linked to difficulties recognizing and managing negative emotional states. Improving the capacity for emotional regulation is essential to break this pattern. This implies:
• Develop skills to identify the emotions that trigger overeating.
• Learn to manage stress in healthier ways, such as through exercise, meditation or therapy.
In conclusion, Ávila concludes, the relationship between anxiety and alterations in eating behavior has a lot to do with how we manage our emotions and the way we perceive our identity and self-esteem. For many people, stress and fear of failure can create a complicated cycle: they eat to calm their anxiety, but then feel guilt or frustration, which leads to more overeating. This behavior is nothing more than an attempt to distract yourself from emotional discomfort.
Understanding that food does not solve emotional problems, but often masks them, is key to breaking this vicious circle. Learning to manage stress, strengthen our self-esteem and work on how we react to failures can help us find a healthy balance, both in our emotions and in our relationship with food.
Lic. Ingrid Ávila
Cognitive therapist.
Specialist in anxiety disorders.
Master in psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology.
Clinical sexologist.
- Inquiries at + 54 9 11 7150 9308
- Instagram: lic.ingrid_avila
www.psicologaingridavila.com.ar.
by CEDOC
