Overeating – a temporary remedy to emotional emptiness.
None of us needs to search far for the example: we feel empty, utterly unfulfilled, stressed or stuck. What’s the solution?
Certainly not to reinvent this part of life. Now we are tired. Now we need comfort, and it’s nearby. In the freezer, in the pantry… a quiet solution to all life’s problems. Eating. So calming, so relaxing…. it fixes everything for this moment, now.
The relation between emotional fulfillment and food is familiar to everyone.
We feel empty – we eat. We lack meaning – we eat. Except that… no matter how much we eat the problem returns the next day. Logically, you would probably agree: it’s not the food that you really need. it’s the satisfying job, loving relationship, financial stability, creativity or living true to yourself. But changing jobs can be “risky” spouses impossible to control, divorces “hard and messy”, so it’s safer to eat.
And now we have another issue: extra pounds, high sugar, and sometimes on top of that we (the subconscious mind) develop a chronic condition as a distraction.
This post is not about ending the joy of eating. It’s about becoming mindful of how often and why we overeat, specifically sugar, flour, and processed foods. Because the actual lack of fulfillment, the very source of it, will not go away even after eating a 1000 portions of french fries.
I am also not writing this to encourage you to start changing this part of your life that is devoid of meaning. Not yet, unless you are ready.
I only suggest that you stop before (over)eating and ask yourself one of these questions with love:
- What do I really need now? (emotionally)
- What do I really want?
- What makes me feel alive? (and is doable now, or as a goal I can start going for)
- What does my heart crave?
- What is my Soul’s desire?
- What am I actually hungry for?
In essence: How can I eat less and live more?
And even if you ask these questions only after you have already eaten —
and truly reflect on the answer —
that is still an accomplishment for today.