Eating Anxiety: Why Does It Arise And How Can We Control It?
Why do we experience anxiety about eating? How can we control food anxiety? Discover the main causes behind this type of anxiety and how to deal with it.
When you experience anxiety to eat, people no longer enjoy their daily meals in the same way. Instead, intrusive thoughts and ideas appear, which means not being able to enjoy food or the time spent savoring a good dish. When anxiety and food are related, this can cause the person to suffer from certain eating disorders, as well as other mental health conditions. So, how can we control food cravings?
In many cases the food anxiety It usually arises due to individual and cultural factors. That is, normally, negative messages about food or appearance are usually one of the most notable causes why someone may suffer from this relationship between anxiety and food.
According to related research, anxiety about eating is usually associated with the following factors.
Negative messages about eating or appearance: On some occasions the food anxiety It can arise due to the constant messages we receive to be in an ‘ideal’ body. This can end up causing these feelings of anxiety.
Negative self-talk: Sometimes there are people who tell themselves that they are fat, even though they don’t actually believe that they really are. In these cases the food anxiety It is because the person believes in the idea that certain types of bodies are wrong.
Genetics: According to various studies, people who share genes that have been linked to eating disorders may feel food anxiety The same happens with people who have family members who have suffered from anxiety.
Personality traits: Some characteristics of our personality can influence the risk of suffering from the disease. eating due to anxiety or have anxiety about food. For example, perfectionism, novelty seeking, and impulsivity may be related to this type of anxiety.
Culture: Constant messages about a healthy and ‘ideal’ body can influence people to end up feeling the food anxiety
When is food anxiety It is experienced in a fleeting way, in many cases this does not imply that one is suffering from a disorder. Additionally, many people may use compulsive eating as a way to cope with anxiety. To detect if there really is a disorder behind this behavior, it is important to look at the following aspects.
Make your relationships difficult
Interferes with your daily life
Consume your thoughts
Causes you to constantly make unhealthy decisions
These may be signs that you are suffering from anxiety to eat When a person is in this situation, he may be suffering from the following disorders.
anorexia nervosa: People with anorexia perceive themselves in a very distorted way. In fact, they often look overweight even though they actually have a very thin body, even on the border of what is healthy. Normally, this perception can cause a food anxiety very intense, something that means that people who suffer from it end up eating very few calories and in extreme cases almost none.
Bulimia nervosa: Bulimia happens when people eating a lot or binge eating, they decide to purge to get rid of everything they have eaten during these binges. People with bulimia can get rid of excess food by vomiting, taking laxatives, or even using enemas. Other ways to compensate for these binges would be through fasting or excessive exercise.
Binge eating disorder: Binge eating disorder is very similar to bulimia since people who suffer from it also tend to compulsive eating large quantities of food. However, unlike those who suffer from bulimia, a person with this disorder does not purge.
Orthorexia: Although orthorexia is not recognized as an independent eating disorder within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), it is included as a type of avoidance or restriction of food intake disorder. When a person suffers from otorexia, they are very concerned about healthy eating. So much so that this obsession with healthy food ends up creating a fixation on counting calories and avoiding at all costs what is not part of the foods considered healthiest.
Anxiety disorders: When a person suffers from generalized anxiety disorder they may also experience food anxiety In fact, many people channel the anxiety they suffer throughout the day through their meals. In the most serious cases this can lead to suffering from certain eating disorders.
Other mental health conditions: The food anxiety It can also indicate other effects on our mental health. Many times people may be suffering from depression, drug use disorder or schizophrenia when they experience this relationship between anxiety and food.
If you feel a lot anxiety before food and you don’t know how to deal with it, it is important that you consult with a mental health professional before this can further affect your physical and mental state.
How to control anxiety about eating?
Given any of the signs that you are suffering from this type of food anxiety, it is important to be aware that we are facing a mental health problem. In these cases, it is advisable to do the following.
Go to therapy: The best method to stop eating a lot because of anxiety or avoiding feeling anxious about food, is by going to a professional psychology consultation. Through therapy, people can learn certain safer coping mechanisms, as well as manage and establish strategies to divert obsessive thoughts around diet.
Changes in lifestyle: The food anxiety It can appear due to a too hectic lifestyle or due to the influence of certain ideas on our body. Thus, avoiding sources of stress such as social networks that talk about ‘ideal’ bodies can be a good way to avoid this type of anxiety.
Breath deeply: Deep breathing can help you take control over your emotions and feelings around food anxiety. By focusing your attention on your breathing this can help you leave behind the feeling of anxiety when eating
Use a mantra: Repeating a phrase or word that makes sense to you can help you feel more confident when you experience anxiety about eating.
Many times anxiety about eating It can affect us beyond meals. For this reason, if you think you have a problem with food, it is important to put a stop to it. It’s time to enjoy our diet again.
