The difficulty in combating anxiety disorders is that we must address multiple fronts, from controlling nerves, seeking relaxation or stopping repetitive movements to controlling the desire to eat. And it is that anxiety often generates another health problem, such as obesity.
Although some people who are suffering from an anxiety disorder report that they have stopped eating, more try to quell the stress caused by anxiety by eating compulsively. And after the binge, they feel even more nervous. We discover the relationship between anxiety and food.
Anxiety to eat
Emotional disorders are closely related to eating disorders. Behind diseases such as anorexia and bulimia lie emotional imbalances that require treatment. The same happens with anxiety and compulsive eating, which, without being a disease as such, can cause serious damage to our health.
Compulsive eating or binge eating may be the response to an anxiety disorder. It is still surprising that our body asks us to eat a large amount of food in response to a state of anxiety, but the truth is that we are not looking for a logical cause for anxiety reactions either. What we want is to find a way to manage our anxiety without interfering with our eating habits.
The danger of cravings for eating is not only at risk of obesity if that behavior persists, but can further complicate the anxiety disorder with negative feelings of guilt, shame, and insecurity. Because compulsive eating can make us feel better while doing it, but after that moment, any feeling of satisfaction disappears completely.
Tips to stop compulsive eating due to anxiety
Food anxiety generally refers to all those foods rich in fats and sugars that provide us with an immediate but momentary sensation of pleasure and calm. The cause is the release of endorphins, something that we must achieve by others, healthier means, such as physical exercise.
Nor can we assume enormous willpower at times when anxiety is pressing, so a good way of not eating cookies, pastries, chips, etc. it is not having it at home. If we can’t help but binge, unless it’s fruit or nuts. But the truth is that those binges can be avoided.
Compulsive eating is practically an involuntary act resulting from an emotional imbalance. The anxiety caused by the desire to eat can be easily removed with some simple breathing exercises, something that many people do not quite believe because of its simplicity, but which is really effective in overcoming a moment of anxiety.
