Support For Emotional Eating And Cravings

This track is designed to help you with a few effective tools to help at those times when food or maybe drink cravings feel extremely overwhelming.

I'm hoping that this toolbox will help you in those moments when it would be easier to either self-medicate with that food or drink or to just numb the feelings that are so uncomfortable or maybe extremely painful.

This is your own personal journey, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Be patient with yourself, and celebrate your successes at every single stage.

To support you further, check out my courses here on Insight Timer - “Freedom from Self-Sabotage and Emotional Eating” and “My First 3 Steps To Letting Go Of The Weight”. I am there in the classroom of both to support you as I know how lonely emotional eating and having cravings can be.

Transcript

Hello,

Liz Doyle,

The Positive Change Coach here.

I want to share with you some suggestions for when you come up against cravings for food or maybe drink that aren't serving you,

Aren't supporting you,

And certainly not loving you.

I want to help you manage the emotional component of cravings.

You know,

Those moments when it would be easier to either self-medicate with that food or drink or to just numb the feelings that are so uncomfortable or maybe extremely painful.

We know already that giving into cravings,

Well,

Certainly not helping us.

And those feelings,

Well,

They don't go away.

They just get pushed down even more,

But they will definitely surface again,

Maybe tomorrow or the next day or later on tonight.

I've already shared three breathing exercises in separate recordings that will help with interrupting the pattern of emotional eating and cravings.

On my recent live,

I suggested putting a toolbox together of different things you can do in those difficult moments.

What I'm about to share may also help.

They have helped me and so many others too.

You may have come across the acronym HALT,

Hungry,

Angry,

Lonely,

And tired.

HALT is a simple acronym that can help you manage strong emotions,

Particularly when you're feeling hungry,

Angry,

Lonely,

Or tired,

Or maybe awful.

When you're experiencing these emotions,

It's so easy to make impulsive decisions or react negatively.

So let's look at each letter.

H is for hungry.

Real physical hunger can definitely affect your mood and emotional stability.

So what to do?

Well,

Number one is,

Well,

Have a drink of water.

I know you've probably heard this already,

But sometimes we're just thirsty.

So have a glass of water first.

Your body will be thanking you for it anyway.

And try to have some healthy snacks to satisfy your hunger,

Ready to eat,

So that you're not inclined to reach for the biscuit tin or cookie jar.

So having nuts and seeds just ready to nibble on.

So there are almonds,

Walnuts,

Cashews,

Sunflower seeds,

Pumpkin seeds,

And Greek yogurt.

Well,

I love Greek yogurt.

And so plain,

Or you can flavor it with some fruit or a little bit of honey.

You could throw some seeds and nuts in there as well.

And I'll sometimes have some hard boiled eggs already in the fridge.

And they're such a great go-to source of protein that will help with a sudden feeling of hunger when I've just not cooked a meal in time,

For instance.

You can try some hummus with vegetable sticks.

So those are just a few suggestions.

Just having something ready when you suddenly feel hungry for any reason.

A is for angry.

Now,

Anger is a natural emotion,

But it really is important to manage it effectively.

But it's not something we should definitely be scared of.

And sometimes we're taught not to react,

Aren't we?

So here's some things that you can do.

So the breathing exercises I've shared already can really help.

Screaming.

So somewhere where you're private,

That you won't scare anyone else.

It could be in your car when you're on your own with the windows closed.

But just some good screaming can let out so much of that anger,

Definitely.

And maybe throw in some swear words in there too,

Just to really get rid of it all.

And in addition,

I would suggest beating a pillow or a cushion with as much force as you can.

So Louise Hay would do this practice every few days.

She would just get a pillow and just beat it and beat it,

And maybe scream at the same time too.

What you want to do is get the anger out of your body rather than pushing it down,

Like so many of us have been taught to or conditioned to over the years.

Meditation also helps me immensely when I'm feeling stressed or angry.

The effects of meditation are powerful and they are immediate.

It goes straight to the fight or flight response and brings you into such a calmer state of mind.

And I find the more I practice meditation,

The calmer I feel.

It's all about repetition.

L is for lonely.

Feeling lonely.

Well,

It's isolating,

Isn't it?

And it's extremely distressing at times.

So here's some suggestions of what to do.

Have a short list of people who you know can really talk you off the ledge without sounding too dramatic.

People who you trust and know what you're going through and what you're trying to do here with these cravings.

Now,

You don't want to be talking to or have anybody on that list that's going to judge you or even tell you what to do.

Now,

I know from personal experience that is easier said than done.

I don't know about you.

And that's why I would like to think that my Insight Timer community,

Liz Doyle's gratitude and support group,

Could become a very powerful tool in supporting each other on this journey.

So if you're already in the group,

Reach out so we can all support each other.

Have your phone handy so you can post in the group and get support and feedback.

Whilst you might not get answered immediately,

You will get a response pretty quickly with all the different time zones.

And if you're not already in the group,

We'd love to see you there.

T is for tired.

Fatigue can contribute to that emotional instability,

That's for sure.

So what to do?

Well,

The obvious is to say,

Get enough sleep.

But I sometimes have sleepless nights.

And when that happens,

I am just super patient with myself the following day.

And I remind myself that I'll feel much better tomorrow,

Because I normally get a great night's sleep the following night.

So basically,

What I am is my own best friend.

And yes,

Avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed and creating a relaxing bedtime routine will all contribute to a better night's sleep.

But it's important to remember that it's okay to have these feelings and emotions.

The key is to recognize them and take steps to manage them in a healthy way.

By addressing your needs and practicing self-care,

You can better cope with difficult feelings.

So try to come up with a tool that's going to work for you if you're feeling each one of these emotions,

So you have something picked out and prepared in advance in your toolbox.

Finally,

Here is a five-minute anti-anxiety trick,

Which can really help when we feel stuck with those emotions that lead us to binge or emotional eating and,

Of course,

Cravings.

We all experience moments of anxiety,

And that doesn't mean we're stuck with it.

So this is a simple and effective four-step process to empower yourself in moving away from anxiety and towards peace and peace of mind.

This process is really useful in the moment,

But it can certainly have long-term impact as well when you practice it regularly.

So number one,

Describe it.

So give this feeling,

This emotion,

What's going on?

Give it a shape.

Give it a color.

Give it some sensation.

What's going on?

How can you describe it really,

Really with a lot of detail?

Number two,

Describe it.

Number two,

Name it.

It's not who you are.

So rather than I am,

Name it as I feel or I'm experiencing or I am going through.

Number three,

Identify.

So identify the sentence or sequence of words playing through your mind that's causing this feeling or emotion.

What's being thought that brings this feeling up?

What came before it?

What triggered it?

And to help you with this,

Journaling your thoughts and feelings,

Oh,

It really helps,

Or recording it on your phone.

That's another form of journaling.

Number four,

Change the sentence.

What else could be said about the feeling or experience or emotion?

And again,

Journaling in some format will support you.

And going within,

Really trusting yourself with this because you have the answers here.

We often look outside of ourselves for the answers.

We have the answers within us.

And just observe your aha moments,

You know,

Any realizations,

Any observations from this exercise.

I want to say one more thing that is really important.

You are far more powerful than any physical or psychological addiction.

And it's crucial that we keep that fact firmly fixed in our minds.

So if you picture yourself helpless compared to your eating and possibly drinking habits,

You're restricting your ability to learn and absorb new information.

However,

If you picture yourself,

Imagine yourself free from the cravings and the addiction,

If you visualize or imagine success,

You make success that much more attainable.

We all know the power of a really strong memory.

So for example,

Think about some childhood memories right now.

You know,

Christmas mornings,

The excitement of waking up early,

The smell of pine needles,

The unwrapping of presents.

Oh,

I'm right there.

Summer holidays,

You know,

Exploring new places and building sandcastles or forming deep connections with childhood friends,

Sharing secrets and having unforgettable experiences together.

Or maybe the flip side of that,

Being bullied or teased or feeling isolated from your peers.

These memories live in stark relief inside our minds,

Don't they?

We can recall them at will.

And sometimes they pop into our minds when,

Well,

We least expect or even want them.

So right now,

If it's safe for you to do so,

I'd like you to close your eyes just for a moment and picture yourself or imagine yourself somewhere where you would normally want to eat or drink something that you know isn't serving you or supporting you.

That time when you have a craving.

You could be at home on your own or somewhere else or with someone else.

So right now,

I'd like you to put another food item or beverage in your hand.

Replace it.

Now,

It needs to be something you're going to genuinely enjoy.

A healthy snack,

An iced tea or a green smoothie.

Imagine yourself enjoying that activity with a delicious healthy snack or drink.

That's not so unfeasible,

Is it?

Keep imagining,

Keep picturing things like this throughout each day.

Visualizing or imagining what you want your life to look like instead of the aspects of your life that you hate is the key to success.

And if your eyes are closed,

You can open them now.

I hope you've got an idea that you get to challenge those assumptions and observations at the root of your subconscious.

You get to retrain your subconscious and win it over to be open to new ideas,

To be free from fear.

What we have looked at can be difficult and it can bring a lot of emotions up.

So I want you to be very,

Very gentle with yourself as you process everything we have looked at today.

Also,

Let me know your thoughts on what I've shared because,

Well,

This is a small example of what you can put into your toolbox if or when you have those cravings.

Many,

Many thanks for listening today.

And remember,

I'm always here to support you.

Much love.

Reviews

This was great! So very helpful tips and suggestions I will be trying. I love the healthy food suggestions and I will be repeating this again. Thank you so much Liz! You are awesome! 💥💥💥🌹🌹🌹🌹🌟🌟🌟🌟🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗💯💯💯💯

Very helpful. I particularly like the HALT exercise. Yep, one of the reasons I over eat ia because I'm tired and eating foods that do not serve me just make it a lot worse.
Sitting outside my house now. I visualised a nice cup of decaff coffee rather than 'mooching' in the fridge

Thank you Liz for sharing this special meditation on craving food. Lovingly helping ourselves with the HALT acronym in mind. And ‘be your own best friend’ 🥰
thank you, thank you, thank you
🙏🙏🙏

Love the ideas presented in this meditation! Thank you so much for such wonderful practices to turn my thoughts and feelings into healthy patterns and habits! 💝🙏🌱

Beautifully supportive track, with practical & realistic suggestions for managing cravings ✨️🙏🏼✨️