Seizing Emotions And Problems. The Psychological Aspect Of Overeating And Being Overweight

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

1. Loss of contact with your feelings

Oftentimes, we are driven to overeating by a lack of understanding of our own feelings and emotions. When negative experiences appear, a desire arises to run away, to distance ourselves from them. But if feelings once appeared, then without reaction they will not disappear by themselves. The negative will accumulate and gradually affect our body and well-being.

What is important to understand about feelings?

All feelings, even negatively colored ones, are necessary for each of us. There is a certain signal behind any feeling, which is important to recognize. To decipher this signal, you must first realize what feelings I am experiencing at the moment - name them and accept. Take, for example, envy - many consider this feeling bad, shameful and try to get rid of it as soon as possible. But after all, envy tells us that some of our needs are not satisfied now, and it is necessary to take steps to at least partially close it. Feelings of guilt are difficult and difficult, but they also carry important information. Guilt suggests that we have violated personal moral rules and that there is a need to learn a lesson from the current situation. We can analyze our act and prevent the situation from repeating again, or we can revise our set of rules and change it so as not to feel a constant feeling of guilt.

Why are we running from our feelings?

Because we are afraid and consider them wrong. But there are no wrong feelings - and most likely these are not even our thoughts, but certain attitudes that came to us from the outside. For example, parents in childhood might say that being jealous is bad. Or they were constantly punished, thereby causing a burning feeling of guilt, from which I just wanted to get rid of. And so gradually contact with your feelings, which is the key to a successful relationship with yourself, could disappear.

When we do not want to understand the reasons for our condition, there is a desire to get rid of negative feelings and switch to something else. And food helps us in this. It gives fleeting relief, satisfaction and allows you to forget about problems for a while. But such a strategy only distracts from understanding their emotional states and reactions.

Establishing contact with feelings is what will help not to seize emotions and experiences.

How to get in touch with feelings?

1. Track your feelings throughout the day and write them down in your Diary. Be aware of what is happening to you in the moment here and now. You can use Robert Plutchik's wheel of emotions as an assistant.

2. Find acceptable ways of expressing feelings. Remember that feelings need a way out.

• You can write about feelings - and this will already be a way of reacting them.
• You can express them through the body - any kind of sports, dance, yoga, various bodily practices, etc.
• Cry. Only do it consciously, understanding what exactly you are crying about now, and what feelings you are experiencing at the same time.
• Any creative manifestations - drawing, modeling, sewing, singing, etc.
• To be alone and think about what is happening now. Enjoy a moment of solitude with yourself.
• Talk to someone who is ready to listen to you without judgment.
• If negative feelings are associated with a specific person, then talk to him. But the conversation should not be about that person and his bad behavior, but about you and your feelings. Do not blame, do not criticize, talk only about yourself and your vision of the issue.

2. Lack of positive emotions

When we experience stress and we lack positive emotions, our body seeks to somehow balance this state. And one of the simpler options is to eat something delicious. This is how a strong bond is formed: if it is bad, you can eat - and it will be immediately better. The problem is that in any stressful situation, we start to choose the easiest way associated with food. It is important to break this chain and find other ways to get positive emotions. Think about what else brings you joy besides food - what really makes your eyes burn. Find an activity that you enjoy. It can be anything - a walk in the fresh air, fiery dancing, chatting with friends, drawing, etc.

3. Unconsciousness of actions

When you feel bad, before you put a piece of food in your mouth, stop for a minute and answer honestly:

• Why do I feel bad now? What feelings am I trying to suppress in myself?
• Will food help me now? And will this effect last?
• What do I need at this moment?
• What do I really want to do now?

If you realize that now you need support and care from your loved ones, then ask them about it. Talk about your wants and needs. If you want to scream out of anxiety, just scream. If you want to express complaints to a person, write them on paper or put a chair in front of you, imagine the same person on it and express everything that has boiled. If you want to beat someone, beat the pillow or go to the gym. Do not hold back your feelings, do not hold negativity to yourself, and do not seize your feelings. Allow your emotions to escape, but do it consciously and effectively.

4. Lack of energy

Any stressful situation requires a lot of strength and energy from a person to cope with it. When we are nervous, worried, angry, upset - all this devastates our inner resources. And if we were already not in a particularly good moral and physical condition, then stress can provoke a breakdown and depletion of the body. And our body seeks to replenish energy through the simplest way - food. At the same time, we begin to consume mostly foods containing "fast carbohydrates". They mobilize the body, but the effect quickly wears off, and you have to eat over and over again to maintain energy.

When you realize your lack of energy, then first of all you need to understand where your life forces merge. Identify those holes and patch them. We often spend a lot of energy on self-criticism, on “chewing” situations from the past, on resentments and doubts, on comparing ourselves with other people. Change your focus from mistakes to your successes, from people's shortcomings to their merits, from the past to the present, from resentment to forgiveness, and so on. If you are currently in a stressful situation, write down possible steps to get out of this state. Try to look at the situation from the outside, find positive moments in it and learn the corresponding lesson. And at the same time start moving on. Maintain a take-give balance in everything. Do not neglect rest - energy appears only through high-quality recovery. Sleep and physical activity are essential ingredients for well-being.

5. Lack of attention and support

Lack of attention and support from significant people is often the reason for seized emotions and problems. Sometimes we all need someone to comfort us and say that everything will be fine. If you need support, just ask for it. Tell us about your feelings, emotional experiences and how important it is for you to receive attention from loved ones. From childhood, we can be taught that we must cope with all problems ourselves, and that we can only ask for help as a last resort. But these beliefs are ineffective and they work against us. If you feel bad, tell us about it. If you need help, ask. Food often replaces comfort and support for us, but it does not bring the most important thing - peace of mind and peace. Instead of this substitution, just think about your true needs and how to meet them.

6. Internal conflict

Often there is a serious internal conflict behind being overweight. Being in a state of constant contradiction with yourself is unbearably difficult. If the psyche cannot resolve the conflict, then the body takes over this function. When a woman begins to gain weight, the conflict resolves itself. For example, a wife wants to cheat on her husband, but is afraid to destroy the family. This is a serious internal conflict that she cannot resolve at the level of the psyche. Then the unconscious mindset turns on - to gain weight. After all, extra pounds can become an obstacle to treason and, accordingly, remove an internal contradiction. At this moment, changes in the body begin to occur at the biochemical level, associated with metabolism, metabolism, the work of hormones and enzymes. Moreover, no matter how hard the woman tries to lose weight during this period, nothing happens. And here it is important to find the very inner cause and resolve it.

7. Being overweight is beneficial

Excess weight can serve as a kind of shell, protection from the outside world. It contains an attempt to hide from people and communication, to close from possible problems, to transfer responsibility from oneself to external circumstances. The benefits are often not realized, but on an unconscious level they affect us. That is why it is so important to establish contact with your feelings, with your body and train a mindful approach to everything. In order to resolve the issue of overeating and being overweight, it is necessary to abandon the position of the victim and become the author of your life.

8. Taking on problems

Often we take on overwhelming things - all sorts of things, problems, worries. If you are pulling everything alone, then the body is trying to somehow become larger and increase in size in order to carry this load on its shoulders. And here again unconscious mechanisms are connected, provoking weight gain.

Treat yourself with care, try to maintain a take-give balance in everything, rest and do not take more than you can take. Share worries and problems with loved ones, ask them for help. And remember that our psyche also needs rest and recovery.