F is a journalist who, for the past two years, has been eating whenever she feels stressed. Sometimes, even when she's not hungry, she can't resist grabbing snacks and binge-eating. Over the two years, she has gained a significant amount of weight. As a result, eating has become a source of distress for F. She wants to break this habit, but when faced with stress, eating seems like the easiest option. Is she destined to be controlled by her desire to eat?
It is understood that loss of control over eating is not uncommon among young people, and in high-pressure industries, this situation is often seen. Many people know that using food to relieve stress may not be healthy, but once it becomes a habit, it is difficult to break.
Regarding this phenomenon, psychologists suggest that there's no need to be too anxious if you can't break the habit immediately. The key is to understand why you are losing control over your eating.
Eating, especially carbohydrates, can increase oxygen in the brain, which can make a person feel more relaxed at the time, but afterward, the stress often still feels present. Many people who lose control over their eating suspect that it's due to their own lack of ability that they are controlled by food. Liu Dongtai, a teacher at the Psychological Counseling Center of South China Normal University, points out that while eating can temporarily relieve stress, maintaining this habit long-term is actually a form of avoiding pressure. Eating is a way of evading stress.
F's situation is like this. She says, "Sometimes after finishing work, I realize it wasn't that terrible, but I can't resist the urge beforehand; I have to eat something to feel at ease." This shows that it's not a lack of ability to handle things, but rather one's attitude towards stress that is at play.
Stress often makes people feel uncomfortable, and they tend to avoid it, seeing it as a sign of their own inadequacy. However, when pressure is avoided, another substitute is needed to solve the problem, and food is one of them. Teacher Liu suggests that one shouldn't take stress too seriously and can give oneself some positive affirmations, such as, "It's okay, this will pass. The current pressure is only temporary."
It may be related to childhood experiences
Many people who use eating to relieve stress are not clear why they do it. It seems that eating is "the simplest and most convenient," so they just do it. Teacher Liu points out that the inability to control the desire to eat may be caused by two reasons.
The first is a recent cause. Once, under great stress, eating relieved the emotional distress at that moment, and the body "remembered" this method. In the future, when similar situations arise, one will quickly think of using eating to solve the problem.
The second possibility is related to childhood experiences. Some people grew up in a poor family atmosphere, and the desire to eat happened to appear at that time. These two emotions—the strong desire to eat and the bad feelings from the family—became mixed together and were solidified through long-term family life. After becoming adults, these two emotions are difficult to separate, and eating becomes a way to cope with the bad feelings.
Becoming aware of the causes of loss of control over eating
Once loss of control over eating becomes a habit, many people find it very difficult to break. How can one better say goodbye to this habit? Teacher Liu points out that this depends on what caused the habit. Besides the two reasons mentioned earlier, each person's situation may be different.
However, one thing is certain: if you want to change a habit, you must become aware of why you are doing it. Even if you can't break it immediately, you are at least moving in the direction of quitting it.
But if the loss of control over eating is caused by long-term factors, such as family or living environment, it is usually more stubborn. Unconsciously accumulated from childhood, Teacher Liu suggests that if you cannot solve it on your own, you can consult a psychologist to find the root causes of the loss of control over eating together.
A few suggestions for breaking the habit of losing control over eating
Pause between stress and snacks
When feeling stressed, don't follow the old habit of随手 grabbing snacks. See if there are other ways to cope with stress, such as focusing more on the task at hand, discussing it with others, or finding a quiet environment to work.
Make a clear "farewell to food"
After eating, don't rush back to work. Take a few seconds to tell yourself, "Okay, I'm full, now I need to start working," and create a clear boundary between eating and working.
Balancing the ability to regulate stress
Long periods of tension can impair the ability to regulate stress. If you are already very tense, it is best not to continue working and allow yourself to relax.