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Are you an emotional eater? Label the behavior, not yourself!

Michelle May

You-are-not-an-emotional-eater

I cringe a little when someone says, “I am an emotional eater,” “I’m a binge eater,” or “I am a binger” (or when I hear a clinician describe their patient or client that way.) That stake in the ground is awfully hard to pull out. When you define yourself by your actions, you leave little room for other options.

Lessons from parenting

One of the most important parenting tips I received was “label the behavior, not the child.” If my daughter hit her older brother, instead of saying, “bad girl!” I’d say, “Hitting your brother is an unacceptable way to tell him you are angry. Use your words.

Brother shouting at sister sticking her tongue outThe theory behind this parenting advice about labeling the behavior instead of the child is that, unlike personality characteristics, behaviors can be explored and changed. My personal parenting experience proved this was a helpful practice for the following reasons:

  • By objectifying the behavior and explaining why it is problematic, the child learns to recognize the effects of their choices.
  • We allow them to experience the consequences (or create natural consequences when necessary) and guide them toward other behaviors with more desirable outcomes.
  • More important, we create a climate of unconditional love and acceptance, no matter what choices the child makes. We affirm their intrinsic value, creating the necessary conditions for change when needed.

(I admit that I didn’t follow all parenting advice perfectly. That didn’t make me a “Bad Parent” – that would be another label! Instead, I made mistakes like every other parent. However, it gave me plenty of opportunities to demonstrate how to ask for forgiveness!)

I believe that “label the behavior” is valuable advice for adults who struggle with their eating too.

You Are NOT an Emotional Eater

By labeling yourself (or your client) as an “emotional eater” or a “binge eater,” you are cementing your identity and setting up a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Emotional-eaterRepeating this definition over and over tells your brain who you are, and therefore, what you do. Your identity as an emotional eater or binge eater will continue to drive your actions.

By approaching your difficulty with food mindfully, you:

Instead of emotional eater, describe emotional eating

You are not a “labeler” either! Labeling yourself instead of the behavior is a habit, a habit that can be changed with awareness.

The easiest way to change the habit of labeling yourself is to notice when you use “–er” (“emotional eater”) then replace it with “–ing” (“emotional eating”).

Here are other examples of how you can describe the emotional eating behavior in a more helpful way:

  • eating for emotional reasons
  • eating when I feel stressed
  • eating because I am bored
  • eating when I am lonely
  • using food for comfort
  • eating to avoid confrontation
  • eating to entertain myself

Notice these objective descriptions also point you toward the drivers and therefore other options that might be more effective than eating. (For more about that, read Embrace Emotional Eating.)

Parent Thyself Gently

Let’s rework the parenting advice above into a “self-parenting” guide. (This is especially important if your own parents made mistakes by labeling you instead of your behavior. If needed, seek counseling to learn to re-parent yourself so you won’t perpetuate that error.)

  • By observing my behavior objectively, I am able to experience the effects of my choices and the problems they create for me without judging myself.
  • I can make more effective choices with more desirable outcomes in the future.
  • When I love and accept myself unconditionally and affirm my intrinsic value, I create the necessary conditions for change.

If you struggle with emotional eating, Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs will help guide you toward awareness and other behaviors with more effective outcomes!

Enjoyed this article? Here are three more to help you:

Don’t Stop Emotional Eating! Learn from it instead!

Chocoholic Cure: Eat Fearlessly!

Are beliefs about eating driving unwanted behaviors?

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