Emotional Eating
Emotional eating — when food is used as a way to manage feelings, rather than to satisfy physical hunger — is one of the most common coping mechanisms people use to deal with difficult or stressful situations. Whether triggered by loneliness, boredom, PTSD, trauma, financial burdens, relationship challenges, or anxiety, we so often look to, and find, comfort and safety in the foods we eat.
And, in small doses, using food to escape, numb, change, or amplify our feelings can actually provide an accessible outlet for periodic stress or anxiety. It only becomes problematic when done frequently and/or as someone’s primary soothing technique.
In addition to bringing its own complications and challenges, emotional eating can also be linked to other serious conditions, such as excessive weight gain, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, and binge-eating disorder.
My work, which centers on self-compassion and reparenting, helps clients look inward to identify, care for, and show kindness toward the root issues that often drive emotional eating.
Common Signs Of Struggle With Emotional Eating
Sudden, urgent cravings for food (frequently sugary, fatty, or salty foods)
Eating when not hungry
Targeted cravings for certain foods that allow little/no room for substitution
Eating as an immediate response to a stressful or emotional event
Frequent overeating, to the point of extreme fullness
Feeling shame or guilt when eating
Start Healing Today
I’ve worked with hundreds of clients — in small group classes and personalized 1x1 coaching — to address these very struggles and create altogether new relationships with food and healing.
Self-compassion offers an alternative to the cycle of fear, anxiety, and self-criticism. Instead of judging and criticizing ourselves for what we eat and how we look, self-compassion encourages us to approach ourselves with kindness, understanding, and acceptance.
Reparenting connects our past to our present to take accountability for our own well-being, while providing the freedom to let go of resentment or blame.
Find peace and freedom with food, today.
Stacy C.
“Jessica's approach and capacity to hold space for each client individually, as well as in a group, is nothing short of phenomenal. This was the first time in recent memory where I not only felt like actual healing took place, but the group dynamic was so supportive and special... If you feel like you have tried everything and you keep hitting dead ends, Jessica's guidance and loving approach will set it right.”
7 Key Benefits Of Self-Compassion
Reduces anxiety
Improves body image
Transforms negative core beliefs
Increases emotional resilience
Soothes painful memories
Stimulates brain’s reward centers
Easy to learn & quick to implement