• Do you eat without realizing that you are eating?
• Once you have eaten do you feel overwhelmed with guilt or shame?
• Do you often eat at strange locations (for instance, eating in your car even outside your home)?
• Do you often find yourself eating alone?
• Do you tend to eat (even when not hungry) after experiencing an unpleasant situation?
• Do you tend to experience a craving for a certain food when you feel upset? (For instance, when you feel depressed you always want ice cream or chocolate)
• Do television or radio commercials leave you with the urge to eat particular foods.
• Do you eat because you’re bored?
• Do you eat to feel better when you’re feeling low or when you are worried about certain situations in your life?
If you have answered yes to a number of these questions then there is a good chance you are guilty of stress eating.
If you tend to regularly eat large quantities to the point you feel nauseous then your problem lies in binge eating. If you are a binge eater you should seek the help of a medical professional. However, if your problem is in stress eating you may be able to resolve the issue yourself without the need for professional help.
The majority of people assume that stress eating is the result of poor self-control. However, this is rarely the true issue and if it was life would be far simpler as self-control can be learned. While there are a variety of things that can contribute to stress eating, we’ll break down the five major issues.