HAPPY, LONELY, ANGRY, SAD

Happy, lonely, angry, sad...many people are driven to eat based on their emotions. This is a pattern that develops early in life...when a baby cries...it is automatically assumed that he/she needs food, when they cry the pacifier becomes comfort, when a toddler gets out of control in public...the first response is to grab something to eat to quiet them down...when it's time for a reward...it generally is in the form of something sweet. As we grow to adulthood for many, food becomes the comfort when nothing else seems to satisfy thrusting us into a cycle of emotional eating that often can be hard to break. It becomes a process of learning to develop a health relationship with food and using food for the purpose it is supposed to serve...NOURISHMENT. Your goal is to learn non-food methods to deal with the emotions that are the triggers for the unhealthier behaviors.
It is important to recognize the true signal of hunger and only eat at that time. When you are driven you to eat emotionally try using some of these tools to gain control

Journal or use other forms to express your feelings such as poetry or art
take up a hobby that will keep your hands and mind occupied during periods of boredom
Have a network of friends that you can call when you feel lonely
Volunteer some of your time...it is amazing how helping others takes the focus off you
Go out for brisk walks to help clear your head
Take long relaxing baths (use essential oils to enhance your experience)
Be sure to get adequate rest
Reward yourself with things such as a day at the spa (we have one here in our area, Spa World, that is inexpensive) or try a home spa treatment
This will be a learning process so remember not to beat up on yourself because that can actually keep the cycle going. Take things a day at a time and soon there will be a healthier relationship between you and food.
Let me hear back on some of the ways your are changing the old relationships you had with food.