Food as a Distraction

Have you ever felt that you are eating to take your mind off something else?  We can sometimes see it in others easier than we can see it in ourselves.  Last night, I was watching Ugly Betty.  She had a really, really bad day (in the uber-dramatic Ugly Betty way).  To cope, she focused on getting an ice cream sundae.

Now, I understand how comfort eating works.  And I can even endorse comfort eating.  What I don't endorse is having a person not realize that they are eating for comfort.  When a person confuses satisfying an emotional need (comfort eating) with satisfying a physical need (eating due to physical hunger) -- I see that as an opportunity for growth in self knowledge.

A sundae doesn't fix a bad day.  It might make the time you are eating it more enjoyable -- but it won't change what happened.  And nobody is overweight because of one emotional eating episode -- it is when you use food like a drug to distract you from what is really going on in your life -- that is when things become problematic.

So...the next time you feel the need to soothe yourself with food, ask yourself, "Am I expecting this food to distance me from my bad day? " and "Is it worth it to use food just like a drug?"