Emotional Eating

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

—Matthew 11:28

In stressful or other high-emotion situations, you may find yourself turning to food to cope. This may lead to eating too much, choosing less-nutritious foods, or eating when your body doesn’t need food. When you are feeling bored, lonely, anxious, stressed, or any other emotion, take time to pause and recognize what you are feeling before you decide to eat. Ask yourself if you are truly hungry or if you are using food to respond to an emotion. If you find that you are hungry, nourish your body with a healthy snack or meal (see the section “Eating Intuitively”). If you are not hungry, choose to respond to your emotions in a different way.

Try This

Think of the last time you used food to cope with your emotions. See if you can notice what led up to that event and identify your triggers. Use that information as feedback to help you the next time you are feeling that way.

Tip Box

Other Ways to Respond to Emotions:

• talk with your companion or a trusted friend

• exercise

• journal

• pray

• meditate and breathe deeply

• listen to music

• laugh

Learning how to respond to your emotions appropriately will improve both your emotional and physical health. Heavenly Father loves you and will help you as you turn to Him in difficult times.