Compulsive eating occurs when you eat for emotional reasons instead of nutrition or enjoyment. Food becomes a way of dealing with stress, anxiety or even celebration when situations seem to get better. Mental health issues often coexist with other disorders. Anxiety disorder may involve addictive behaviors such as compulsive eating. Compulsive eaters may suffer from low self-esteem and depression and use food to escape feelings of anxiety or anger, according to Princeton University Health Services.
Comfort
Compulsive eating may turn into a form of comfort. If you find a certain satisfaction from eating during stressful times, you may continue to eat each time an emotional issue arises. Gaining weight from compulsive eating can make you feel worse, causing you to suffer deeper anxiety about your physical appearance.
Harmful Cycles
Crash dieting to quickly lose weight may lead to more feelings of hunger and anxiety, so binge eating episodes continue to occur. Compulsive eating and anxiety about the health problems it causes become a harmful cycle. Complications from compulsive eating may include obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other physical difficulties, increasing feelings of anxiety.
Support and Treatment
A compulsive eater needs professional assistance and support to break the emotional attachment to food. Therapies for anxiety disorder and compulsive eating work similarly. Psychotherapy allows patients to discuss with a therapist their worries and fears, so they can understand the reasons behind their anxiety and their desire to eat compulsively. Triggers may be identified, and methods may be learned and used to protect against compulsive eating. Learning to think positive thoughts instead of negative thoughts may be achieved through individual counseling, group sessions or support groups.
Nutrition
Learning about proper nutrition also helps you when dealing with compulsive eating and anxiety. Eating frequent, small meals during the day instead of large meals or junk food stabilizes blood sugar levels, which helps reduce anxiety. Carbohydrates may increase the levels of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin provides calming and relaxing effects. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, help you maintain steady energy and a better mood. Dieting only triggers food cravings because of feelings of deprivation. Exercising regularly also helps combat anxiety and compulsive eating.
