Every human being has basic emotional and intellectual needs. You are no exception. There are four needs that your mind strives to fulfill on a very consistent basis: certainty/security, significance, variety, and love/connection. Your mind views these needs as necessities; they are not optional. When a need goes unmet, an over eater's mind uses food to compensate for that need.
The Need for Certainty/Security
You need to feel in control of your life. Facing the unknown can be unnerving. When the feeling of being in control is lost, the subconscious mind will work to regain control by enabling whatever behaviors and habits it has been programmed with.
This is a major area of weakness for stress eaters. Stress happens when the feeling of being in control has been lost. Stress eaters use food as a coping mechanism because, while they cannot control outer circumstances, they can control what they put in their mouths.
Be ever mindful during those stressful moments and take notice if your reaction is to head toward the kitchen. You may be replacing a feeling of losing control with food consumption.
Your Need to Feel Significant
You also need to feel important; you don't want to live a life where your presence hasn't made an impact in someone else's life. You want to be remembered after you're gone, or it's as if you never existed at all.
Balance is also required here; it is lonely at the top. Being significant requires a degree of responsibility, maybe too much responsibility for one person to handle alone.
Is is possible that food is giving you that "special feeling" of being important? Or maybe you feel you are too significant and you are stuffing your face to distract yourself. Next time you feel like you're being pulled in several directions at once, pay attention to your responses.
The Need for Variety
Life can become so predictable, it gets boring. Hence the need for variety. For the over eater, variety comes in the form of food. There are limitless choices when it comes to food. Not to mention that food is a cheap form of entertainment compared to the alternative. Instead of spending a day's worth of work on a movie, popcorn, and a drink; you opt to ease your boredom with your favorite junk food.
Does this sound like you? Pay attention to your actions when you find yourself getting bored. Is your first reaction to head for the pantry or the fridge? Chances are there are many other things you could think of to ease your boredom (like dishes, laundry, a project, etc.); but nothing says "fun" like a brownie fudge sundae!
The Need for Love/Connection
Ah yes...the need for love and connection. This is by far the deepest need. Everyone wants to be and feel loved; everyone wants to feel connected. The most damaging emotions someone can experience are rejection and loneliness; and when rejection and loneliness are experienced, our minds work overtime to compensate. For some people, compensation comes in the form of "comfort food".
Food may be the one variable a rejected person feels they can rely on-it will never say "no" or "not now" or "maybe later". Food is always there to serve its purpose; and if its purpose for you is to comfort you, your mind knows that it will always be there. So your mind quickly employs the habit of seeking comfort from food; and you end up easing your feelings of rejection and/or loneliness with a box of dough nuts or a pint of ice cream.
Examine Your Needs
Take a quick inventory of your needs and identify the ones that are falling short of being fulfilled. This is a major key to obtaining your freedom. Unless you know the problem, you will not be able to find the solution.
The Need for Certainty/Security
You need to feel in control of your life. Facing the unknown can be unnerving. When the feeling of being in control is lost, the subconscious mind will work to regain control by enabling whatever behaviors and habits it has been programmed with.
This is a major area of weakness for stress eaters. Stress happens when the feeling of being in control has been lost. Stress eaters use food as a coping mechanism because, while they cannot control outer circumstances, they can control what they put in their mouths.
Be ever mindful during those stressful moments and take notice if your reaction is to head toward the kitchen. You may be replacing a feeling of losing control with food consumption.
Your Need to Feel Significant
You also need to feel important; you don't want to live a life where your presence hasn't made an impact in someone else's life. You want to be remembered after you're gone, or it's as if you never existed at all.
Balance is also required here; it is lonely at the top. Being significant requires a degree of responsibility, maybe too much responsibility for one person to handle alone.
Is is possible that food is giving you that "special feeling" of being important? Or maybe you feel you are too significant and you are stuffing your face to distract yourself. Next time you feel like you're being pulled in several directions at once, pay attention to your responses.
The Need for Variety
Life can become so predictable, it gets boring. Hence the need for variety. For the over eater, variety comes in the form of food. There are limitless choices when it comes to food. Not to mention that food is a cheap form of entertainment compared to the alternative. Instead of spending a day's worth of work on a movie, popcorn, and a drink; you opt to ease your boredom with your favorite junk food.
Does this sound like you? Pay attention to your actions when you find yourself getting bored. Is your first reaction to head for the pantry or the fridge? Chances are there are many other things you could think of to ease your boredom (like dishes, laundry, a project, etc.); but nothing says "fun" like a brownie fudge sundae!
The Need for Love/Connection
Ah yes...the need for love and connection. This is by far the deepest need. Everyone wants to be and feel loved; everyone wants to feel connected. The most damaging emotions someone can experience are rejection and loneliness; and when rejection and loneliness are experienced, our minds work overtime to compensate. For some people, compensation comes in the form of "comfort food".
Food may be the one variable a rejected person feels they can rely on-it will never say "no" or "not now" or "maybe later". Food is always there to serve its purpose; and if its purpose for you is to comfort you, your mind knows that it will always be there. So your mind quickly employs the habit of seeking comfort from food; and you end up easing your feelings of rejection and/or loneliness with a box of dough nuts or a pint of ice cream.
Examine Your Needs
Take a quick inventory of your needs and identify the ones that are falling short of being fulfilled. This is a major key to obtaining your freedom. Unless you know the problem, you will not be able to find the solution.
About the Author:
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