Emotional hunger
Emotional hunger is a felt need for relief, closeness or solace, which is easily confused with physiological hunger.
Definition
Emotional hunger often appears when you are stressed, lonely, tense, bored or overloaded. It can lead to eating, shopping, scrolling, or other quick forms of regulation. It is not a sign of weakness, but a signal that the body is looking for relief. It is worth distinguishing it from physiological hunger, which increases gradually and is associated with the need for energy.
Key ideas
- Emotion as a signal of need
- Regulation through quick relief
- Distinguishing body and emotional hunger
Practice and life
Before an automatic reaction, ask yourself: do I need food, rest, closeness, exercise or a break from stimuli?
Common misconceptions
It is a mistake to shame yourself for emotional hunger. The second mistake is to try to solve every emotion by controlling food alone.
> It often happens that we eat the alleged hunger, but its location is not in the body, in the belly, stomach, but... in the head, emotions and the problem of coping with reality.
> — Guru Element
Questions for self-reflection
- What do I feel right before the impulse?
- Did my hunger build up physically or did it come on suddenly?
- What need am I trying to soothe right now?