Boredom is a mildly annoying emotional state at best, but doing nothing on a lazy Saturday afternoon can be a gateway to more problematic behavior. It boils down to a simple Freudian principle:we are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. This is why many people seek comfort foods to deal with negative emotions, such as the cliché of eating ice cream after being dumped. Recent Research Reveals the Nine Most Common Eating Triggers:
Lack of intimacy For some emotional eaters, food can provide the comfort they desire from a partner, friend or family. In addition, even if they have a large support network, some emotional eaters often feel lonely. The desire to seek comfort from food fills a need – albeit temporarily – for intimacy.
Feelings of shame If an emotional eater has committed an offense in the past, they will blame and punish themselves, even if they are forgiven. Emotional eaters dwell on regret and incessantly focus on their disappointments, failures, and what they don't like about themselves and their lives.
Fear of challenges Emotional eaters struggle to find the strength and motivation to take on a daunting task. They don't believe they have the skills to achieve what they want and are more likely to give up on a difficult goal. They would rather quit than fail. These feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and disappointment can prompt emotional eaters to seek food for comfort.
Fear of judgment
Emotional eaters have high expectations of what they think their bodies should look like – and because they haven't reached this ideal, they punish themselves. They are also terrified of being rejected. Emotional eaters who fear judgment will often hide food so that others cannot see how much they are eating.
Avoidance of conflict
When a person avoids keeping his mouth shut, doesn't raise grievances and "swallows" his emotions, this form of "avoidance" can result in emotional eating. Emotional eaters who avoid confrontation may turn to food to distract them from the issue that is bothering them and/or to mask the negative feelings surrounding it.
Boredom
For many emotional eaters, a useless mind produces a desire for newness or a change – but instead of satiating this craving with an engaging activity, they turn to food.
Self-Sabotaging Beliefs A desire to end the cycle of emotional eating or adopt a healthier lifestyle can be hindered by an eater's limiting beliefs about their ability to break bad habits, develop self-discipline, and change their bodies. Some emotional eaters may believe that their health is predetermined by their genes and therefore cannot be changed. They may believe that an emotional eater is just who they are.
Rebellion
Children who grew up in very rigid households may find themselves manifesting their desire for freedom through food. This may be the case in particular if the child was forbidden to eat certain foods (eg junk food, sweets) and/or if his/her food intake was strictly controlled (eg to prevent weight gain).
Physical, emotional or sexual abuse
Several studies have shown that trauma is a risk factor for eating disorders and other pathological eating behaviors. While the relationship between abuse and food is complex and can vary from person to person, research suggests that emotional eaters may turn to food to reduce feelings of shame or to punish themselves, because some mistakenly believe the abuse was their fault. Researchers also theorize that abuse survivors may intentionally gain or lose a lot of weight as a form of protection (ie, they believe it will make them less attractive and therefore less likely to be abused), or as a reflection of their shattered self-image.
